Tabloid
by niaiserie
Summary: {1xR} Ch. 6: The model rants and raves and yells some more [and] you're the cause of her distress. More wrinkles... Better get that Oil of Olay out. Or not, which might be better.
1. The First Time Ever I Hated You and Let ...

Tabloid

Rating: PG-13 - Some swear words.  Nothing biggie, but I don't want the administration going after me for not rating appropriately.

Chit-chats:  No own Gundam Wing.  Plot is mine.  First time posting!  ^_^  I hope to have a lot of fun while I'm doing this.  Review, please?  Constructive criticism is easier to understand than "your story sucks" or whatever.  I want to know why it does.  Okay!  Here we go...

P.S.- Thank you for taking time to read this!  :)

Edited: 112702

March 13 - Friday, 4:38 PM

            While growing up, daddy used to put me on his lap and he would read to me tales of princesses, knights, and rainbows.  What he didn't know was I never believed in them; I stayed on his lap because I liked listening to his voice.  It was a deep, rich, velvety voice; an alto, for those who are freaks for details.  Never do I recall not falling asleep on daddy's lap and waking up the next morning, still seeking his warmth.  Needless to say, I was daddy's little girl.

            Mommy was not around when I grew up; she died suddenly when I was six.  But if I concentrated hard enough, I can remember how gentle she was, how she'd brush my hair before I went to bed, and her smile.  Mommy had a pretty smile: a small mouth and perfect rows of small teeth.  Daddy told me I had her smile, so just for him I would smile all the time.  He'd sigh, shake his head, and would unfailingly say "As long as you're around, I would never love other women but you and your mother."  I didn't know what he meant at that time.  All I wanted for him to do was get on with that night's story so I can listen to his voice again.

            Standing in front of this palatial place, I now knew the reason why I never believed in those fairytales.

            "A pleasant afternoon to you, Miss Peacecraft," the butler greeted me.  The wrinkles on his face responded to his smile, crinkling up around his eyes, between his eyebrows and on his cheeks.  There was genuine warmth at his greeting and I found it hard not to smile back.  "My name is Pagan.  Please leave your things in your vehicle; they will be taken care of."

            He urged me to follow him up the steps and into, what I assumed, the family room.  Seeing the creme-colored drapes, the lavishly decorated nooks and crannies of the room made me very uncomfortable. I felt like a damn hobo dining in a five-star restaurant somewhere in Manhattan with my Nike shoes, sweatpants, loose shirt and all.  I cleared my throat, trying to make a poor attempt to have a conversation with Pagan.  "So, I was commanded to live in this beautiful prison and he doesn't even bother to welcome me?"

            "He" meaning my new husband.  But I will explain that later.

            "Sir Yuy wishes to send you his deepest apologies.  He'll try to make it home before dinner at seven," he replied.  "If you wish to call him-"

            I shook my head.  "It's not necessary.  In fact, it doesn't really make any difference whether he comes home or not."  I bit the inside of my lip, a habit of mine that stayed when I got extremely uncomfortable or something.  In this case, I was more like... overloaded.  I'm not used to this new habitat, domicile, crib, whatever you call it.  I grew up in a lower middle class neighborhood and still resided in the same house after getting a job.  I drive an extremely outdated 2002 Toyota Camry.  I was a store manager for the local Starbucks in our area, even though I held a degree in political science and majored in philosophy.  My plans were to grow old, retire from that beloved coffee shop and then live in the Bahamas, if I had enough money.  In other words, they were simple, sensible, and predictably boring.  That was, of course, until daddy died.

            "Can you direct me to my room, please?" I asked, my knees wobbling.  His death was not very old news, nor was it new but the wounds never went away.  Come to think of it, they got worse as days went by without him.  "This is very overwhelming for me and I need to rest."

            "Why, yes of course.  Lucia!" Pagan called and there came in an old petite Latina lady with snowy white hair.  "Will you please show Miss Peacecraft to her room?"  He stopped for a moment and regarded me with a questioning look.  "My apologies.  I've been addressing to you as Miss Peacecraft, whereas it should have been Mrs. Yuy."

            I couldn't help but feel a familiar detachment from the title.  Everything, as I said, was still so new.  I shrugged.  "It doesn't matter.  Miss Peacecraft's fine."

            On our way to the room, Lucia started a conversation of what a fine choice I was for her _la nino_.  What I didn't tell her was we were stuck together, whether we wanted to *be* together or not.  I humored her instead; replying at the right times, smiling when needed.  I didn't mean to offend her by not laughing when she made jokes.  I chuckled to make her feel better; that was *if* she needed to feel better.  I was a hard person to get to nowadays.  So much has happened: my father's death, having to explain my sudden departure to my staff, and finally this godforsaken arranged marriage to a complete stranger's son.  Hell, I didn't even know about my father's war friends until his Alzheimer's kicked in hard.

            Oh and by the way, how many arranged marriages do you hear about in the year 2032?  I racked my brain endlessly and besides what was left of the defunct royal families, I can think of no one.  So I'm alone.  Well, not really, but that Yuy guy does *not* count.

            Maybe I'm feeling too sorry for myself.  I mean, worse things have happened, after all.  But at this time, I did not care at all.  I never intended to get married; guys were just little buggers, after all.

            "This is your room, yes?" Lucia told me.  Her voice, with a cute accent and grandmotherly tone, brought me back to the present time.  "You like it, yes?"

            My god... *like* it?  This was every woman's dream!  Every woman who was a pure romantic at heart, I mean.  I most certainly do not fit that category, unfortunately.  Even more unfortunate was that Yuy did not know that.  My supposed bedroom's motif seemed to be pale blue: from the bed sheets, the sheer curtains covering the balcony doors, the color of the walls, down to the pair of bunny slippers set so graciously for me just beside the bed...

            Double-take.  Bunny slippers?

            Apparently, Lucia had a form of empathic ability because she answered my unspoken question.  "Well, _seňorito_ learn you love bunnies."  When I turned, I must have had some sort of look on my face because she flipped out on me.  Her tiny hands flew to her mouth and she hurriedly ran towards the slippers.  "_Lo siento, seňorita!_  Oh no, you get mad!  I take them away now, no problem..."

            Just as hurriedly as she ran to the slippers, I knelt beside her and took her hands.  "No, Lucia, no," I said, smiling gratefully.  "I'm sorry that I gave you an impression I didn't like bunnies."  I took off my shoes and slipped the plushy slippers on.  "See?  They're on my feet."  She smiled when I smiled, but it was not over.  "What I'd like to know is, how did he know I like bunnies?"

            "Your _papi, seňorita_," she replied truthfully.  "He said to my Don Miguelito you will grow up with bunnies.  Don Miguelito said to my _niňo_ same thing before he die."

            "Miguelito?"

            "Yes.  I cannot say his American name, so I give him new name."

            Figured.  Miguelito was a far cry from Michael, but it was close.  What struck me was daddy's been planning things way before I was born.  The war ended in 2004 and mommy gave birth to me two years later.  I shook my head in a pathetic attempt to clear it.  "Thank you, Lucia.  I would like to rest now."

            Seeing the tiny woman walk away made my worries a little bit easier to bear.  Her presence and Pagan's company just might make things a bit better for me in this mansion.  I padded over to the nearest chair, wanting to curl up and get some comfort from this whole new environment.  An environment I had to explore and learn without daddy by my side.

            Nothing I've experienced scared me more than that.

Past Edition: March 6 - Friday, 2:24 pm

            It started when I was at work.  A week had passed since daddy died and everyone at my workplace were given warnings (or threats, take your pick) to leave me alone.  The unfortunate soul of that dreary day happened to be Marcy, a new employee at the branch I was assigned to.  All of our other colleagues' eyes were on her as she walked over to my area, her knees trembling all the way.

            "Mi-miss... ma'am," she said, "phone call for-for you."

            "Who is it?"

            "He-he said his...his... your lawyer," Marcy squeaked.

            I bit my lip to hide my surfacing smile.  This situation was just too amusing.  I took the phone away from her death grip and she almost ran towards the cashier, looking too eager to excuse herself from my presence.  "Yes, sir."

            "Down, woman," my lawyer told me, chuckling.  "You might give your staff a nervous breakdown, heart failures, or worse, psychological trauma."

            "No sir, trust me they won't do that.  They're going to be the nice little employees that I trained them to be until I get over this."  I shuffled the papers in front of me, feeling a little bit nervous for some reason.  "What's going on?  I thought you weren't going to call me this soon."

            There was a pause on the other line and I heard him clear his throat in what seemed to be an uncomfortable manner.  "I think it's best that you come in later today.  Say, around five or so."

            Okay... so this is the perfect time to panic for some reason.  Our family lawyer is mommy's best friend from college and I can say that he's a part of the Peacecraft family.  "Uncle J?" I asked, finally addressing to him on a more personal level.  "Why?  Is it about daddy's will?  I told you that whatever financial-"

            "It's more than that, honey," he interrupted.  "Money's involved, yes.  But you're probably not going to believe it unless you show up at my office.  I can't tell you over the phone.  It would be best if you had trusted company with you."

            "Like you."

            "Yes, like me."  The smile I heard in his voice faded and he used his professional tone on me.  "I'm serious, Relena.  You either come today or you'll be going through this without knowing what the hell is going on."

            I was silent for a moment, mentallly going through that day's schedule.  The assistant manager was scheduled for today at four...  I pulled the phone away from my ear.  "Hey, can anyone make sure that Carter's coming in today?!"

5:15 pm

            When I got to Uncle J's office, it was already 15 minutes past the time I was supposed to be there.  Hey, I'm a busy woman!  I got out of work as quickly as I was able to.  When I saw his disapproving stare, I gave him an unintimidated look back.  "I'm not a happy camper today," I stated flatly.  "Some fat woman gave me an attitude today and I pointed at the sign that said 'We have the right to refuse service to anyone'.  She threatened to file a case against us but when I told her that I noticed she parks at the handicap space without that blue tag, she shut up.  She knew there's a security camera in front of the store and it takes pictures every ten minutes."

            He smirked.  "So you're going to sue?"

            "No," I replied.  I plopped on the nearest chair to his desk and raised my eyebrow.  "Seriously speaking, this better be good.  If I was an assassin, I'd say this would be my 'trigger happy day' so handle me with care."

            Uncle raised his eyebrows in assent and gestured towards two men.  "This is Attorney Rice and his client, Heero Yuy," he introduced dryly.

            Oh shit...  I didn't even know there were other people in the room!

            The other people frowned at the tone of his voice, but I flushed.  I knew exactly why he used that tone; they didn't need to know that it was meant for me.  "Does the name Yuy ring a bell?"

            Sorry to disappoint you, boys, but I have no idea who the hell that name belongs to.  It seemed like they were under the assumption that I *knew* who that person was.  The expectant look on their faces told me so.  I decided to improvise.  "Well, I guess.  Not really.  I think I saw it on the newspaper before, but I'm not sure."

            Atty. Rice and Mr. Yuy looked disappointed, but Uncle J still looked expectant.  This propelled me to think harder and once I did, I wish I hadn't: Yuy was one of the names that came out of daddy's mouth when he was closer to the final stages of Alzheimer's.

            Come to think of it, I came to resent my deceased father-in-law, though I didn't know he was going to be my father-in-law just yet.  I had to become the shadow behind that man.  For crying out loud, was he the one who sat on daddy's lap at Afghanistan when they were fighting that war?

            "I take that back."  I looked at Heero and he looked back.  "I know him."  After making the statement, I knew the ball was still in my court.  They were still waiting for me to say something more.  "Well?  Does he have to do with anything here?  Is he directly related to Mr. Yuy?"

            "He's my father," Heero replied.  His masculine voice triggered something long-dormant in the frontal lobe of my brain.  I groaned mentally, annoyed at myself.  This was so not the time, Peacecraft!

            "Well hell, who else could he be?" I asked again.  This time, I made my sarcasm more obvious.  "Now what?  You're planning to sue daddy because he did something to your father during the war?  He's dead!  He's gone!  You're not going to gain anything!"  I hid my shock when Heero's dark features turned darker.

            I felt Uncle J's hands grab me by the shoulders and shook me slightly.  "Watch your words carefully, Relena.  All of us have had a long day."  I relaxed underneath his grip; only then did he release me with a pat on the shoulder.  "Good girl.  As Mr. Yuy said, Michael Shingo Yuy is his father."  He left me and came back as quickly as he went away.  "Here," Uncle J handed me an aged folder, "maybe you should read it yourself."

            "Don't I need you to read it?  There's probably some lawyers' jargon in here."  I opened the folder roughly and handled it more gently when I recognized the elegant script on the papers.  "Daddy's papers..."

            He made a noise.  "Nothing you can't handle, Relena.  You have a degree in political science somewhere in your house, don't you?"  For response, I just rolled my eyes.  As if the whole world needed to know.  "Oh, and if you blow your gasket, can you make sure I'm not in the way?  This was your crazy father's idea, not mine."

            Is it me or did that sound so darn ominous?

            "I, Alexandros Ivanov Peacecraft, blah blah blah..."  I read outloud.  I knew this by heart!  I was there when daddy wrote it!  I turned to look at Uncle J to point out that blatant fact, but he urged me to read further with a fierce nod.  "properties... blah...  notwithstanding...blah..."

            Wait a minute.  Something's not right here.

            Let me run that through again.  I'm being forced to marry?  My father is forcing me to marry some guy?  Not some any other guy, but this Mike Shingle Yuy's son?!  I looked at Uncle J.

            He shrugged helplessly.  "I told you it would be pretty self-explanatory as long as you showed up today."

            This wasn't real.  This was just some emotion induced dream.  As the clock in the room ticked by, I regained my ability to feel things.  I felt the sheet between my fingers.  I felt my fingers crumpling against the paper.  I felt the familiar stinging sensation in my eyes.  I became acquainted with the anger, the rage, and the despair inside me once more.  It was too much to take.  It felt like I was experiencing a million things simultaneously and I was suddenly worried that my brain wouldn't be able to take much more of the sensory overload.

            I saw the words on the paper swimming across my eyes.  Maybe my tears helped to make the effect even stronger.  However, they didn't fall.  They didn't fall because I refused to let them fall.  I refused because Heero Yuy rolled his eyes and I saw him.  I knew at that instant that he didn't seem entirely pleased with the idea, either.  I wasn't about to give him the pleasure of seeing me cry.  I'll refuse him that.

            "How soon can it take place?" I heard myself say.  I didn't say anything else.  I didn't even acknowledge the shocked look on the others' faces.  There was nothing left to say.

            I was powerless over the situation and I despised myself for it.

6:42 pm

            We were married about an hour later.  Atty. Rice hastily placed a call for the state clerk and then they held the ceremony.  I remember looking at his hands that held mine.  His were large, alive, and warm; mine were pale, lanky, and cold.  If our body temperatures were affected by what we were feeling, then I don't know what he was happy about.

            Our "I do's" seemed to be as cold as my hands were.  My "in sickness and in health" part were colder than liquid nitrogen, if that was possible.  My words sounded hollow, so empty that I can swear they resonated within my head and the space that once held my heart.  Couldn't they see?  My father left me in this cursed jail they call life.

            I died then, and because of this marriage, I died again.

            "You may kiss the bride," the clerk stated proudly.  His grin reached from ear to ear until he saw my glare.  "I mean, Miss Peacecraft."

            I looked at my "groom" evenly and he met my eyes in the same fashion.  We both stood still as everyone around us seemed to anticipate "the big kiss".  Shaking my head, I pulled my hands away.  "This is ridiculous," I muttered to myself, though I was sure everyone heard me.  The silence was one so pure, you might be able to hear a cat walking about in its stealthy manner.  "We all know the situation here, so can we just skip this mush?  Where are the documents we need to sign?"

            As much as I tried to make myself detached to the situation, my subconscious self couldn't help but feel a bit wistful.  The feeling heightened when I saw the words "Mrs. Relena Peacecraft-Yuy" underneath the signature line.  I belonged to someone.  I gave my promises of loyalty, faithfulness, and support to one man and one man alone.  Do you realize how scary that sounded?

            I walked out as soon as my signature was on the paper, Uncle J following beside me.  "You're married.  My god, you're married."  He tried to slow me down by holding my arm, but I yanked it away violently.  "You didn't even say good-bye to your husband?"

            "He's only my husband on paper, uncle.  Not by... you know.  Heart," I said softly.  Now that I left the room, I felt dirty all over.  I just wanted to go home and scrub myself over, and over, and a million times over again.  "Just drive us back to your office, please.  I want to make this nightmare end."

            We reached his car and when he opened his door, Uncle J made this "tsk tsk" sound.  "Look what we have here."  He handed an envelope addressed to me.  "Wonder how they would have given that to you if I didn't have the windows partially down," he joked.

            I eyed the envelope hopelessly and furiously, knowing that it came from my "hubby".  What did they want now?!  I all but tore the paper as I started to read.

_Relena,_

_We anticipated the probability that you were going to run out on us as soon as the ceremony was done.  If you would please read the following requests made by my client, Mr. Heero Yuy:_

1 _That you resign from your day job_

2 _That you move out from your current residence and into Mr. Yuy's residence_

            I was blinded and shaking with rage.  I didn't bother finishing the rest of the letter.  Mindlessly, I tore the paper little by little until Uncle J stopped me.  I stared at the pieces on my lap blankly.  "Get me Heero Yuy's number, sir."

            "Relena..."

            "Get me," I repeated, "Heero Yuy's number, sir."

            The phone call I made to Heero when I got home was fruitless.  He was adamant and the argument "Because we're married" became his standard comeback; mine was "Only on paper."  He won at the end of our conversation and my deadline to get things straightened out was Friday afternoon.

            Uncle J was present when the first argument we had as a "married couple" blew up.  "I think that went well," he commented.

            "You think?" I asked sweetly, giving him the cheesiest smile possible.  I scowled a few moments later.  "First he wants me to marry him.  Now he wants me to move in with him.  What's next?  Sex?"

            He raised his eyebrows.  "That's possible.  After all, he was a popular ladies' man."

            "Well, they can have him.  He can have as many mistresses as he pleases as long as he leaves me alone."  I sighed, forcing myself to find some humor in the situation.  "The least I could've had for this day was my fantasy when I was a really naive girl."

            "Which was?"

            "Wear a nice white dress on my wedding."  I pouted.  "Can you believe I wore shorts and rubber shoes on my damn wedding?"


	2. The First Dinner

Notes: 'hoo boy, 2nd chapter.  BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!  It's not as long as the first one, but... well... ^_^  Read it, please?  Happy thanksgiving!  Hope everyone's having a good one so far, and for those whose week didn't start well, I sympathize.  So I'm wallowing in self-misery by watching the Faith Hill and Elvis Presley specials they have on NBC (GREAT SONGS!).

Warning:  *ahem* Bad words...  Made some minor corrections to the first chapter...  Tried editing this chapter, but as usual, I'm not satisfied.  My Spanish editor is not online!  ::Cries::  Where are you?!  And a special shoutout to my dear Boss...  it's another torture day, you know?  ^_^  Okay, I'm done whining.  Reviews, please?

Present Edition: March 13 Friday, 6:57 pm

            When I opened my eyes from my short nap, it was drizzling outside.  Waterdrops made tinkling sounds against the window and it made me want to go back to sleep.  But an added presence in the room prevented me from doing so.  I blinked several times before I was able to focus my eyes on the person.  "What are you doing here?"

            Heero's dark blue eyes were unreadable against the orange glow the lamp cast in the room.  "Lucia insisted that I get you before she serves dinner." He smirked.  "She seems to approve of you."

            "Yeah, well I didn't exactly offer myself on a silver platter to be scrutinized," I said, my good old cynicism kicking in once more.  "I really don't feel like eating right now."

            "You're not going to join me to dinner, wifey?"

            I bristled.  Damn the man, he knew which buttons to push!  "I didn't know you needed a damn babysitter," I replied.  "If you want one, why don't you call one of your past sitters?  I've never been really good with bachelors that were taken off the market."

            It was when he stood up that I was able to appreciate his... err...  manliness.  His collared shirt was unbuttoned all the way down, showing a white tank top that seemed so easy to rip.  I felt beads of sweat forming at the base of my neck.  Boy, did he look ready to be eaten...

            Before I knew it, he grabbed my chin roughly and forced my head to tilt up.  "If I weren't married, I would have."  His fingers started caressing the side of my face, trying to elicit a response from me.  I, however, was not done listening to his little speech.  "I don't take my vows lightly, Relena.  And I expect you to be the good little wife that you said you were going to be."

            Did it sound like he was almost growling?  It sounded kind of sexy...

            Aaahh!!!  Rewind!  Re-record over that traitorous thought!  I yanked my head out of his grip violently.  "Don't worry, I won't," I answered coldly.  "I've always been the one-man type of girl.  From what I read about you, however, it's difficult for me to place what you're like right now and what you were before into one body."  It was the truth, suffice to say.  I did my research about Heero and BOY did the tabloids have plenty to dish out.  Besides inheriting the company that owned hundreds of radio stations nationwide, Heero was also a persistent and systematic playboy.

            Thank you, National Enquirer, People...  You reading materials were just what I was looking for.

            "They know next to nothing about me," he stated, a glitter seeming to come into his eyes.  "You have the privilege of seeing what they won't be able to behind closed doors."

            "Which closed doors?  Your bedroom doors?"  I swear I tried to sound sarcastic at that remark...

            I saw his smirk again.  "If that's what you want."  Irritated, I threw the cushion behind me and he caught it perfectly, setting it down beside him.  "Seriously speaking, Lucia wants you down at the dinner table."  I watched as Heero got up and opened the door.  "By the way, the bed is for sleeping.  There's more than enough room for you."

            All I could do was sigh hopelessly, because getting along with that man will only happen when pigs have kittens.

7:09 pm

            I really had no appetite for anything, even though Lucia made excellent food from what I smelled.  I settled for a boring salad with dressing.  It was when I said that out loud I learned that Lucia was a very sensitive person.  "What's wrong, _seňorita_?  You no like Latino food, yes?  You like something else to eat?"

            "No, it's not that," I replied, trying my hardest to keep a straight face.  She didn't seem to buy it and my conscience started to eat me up alive.  Slowly.  "I'm vegetarian," I lied.

            Without hesitation, Lucia hurried into the kitchen.  I heard her talking, but there was too much Spanish in between that I decided to give up translating.  From the other end of the table, I heard Heero clear his throat.  I ignored him and he repeatedly cleared his throat until I turned around to finally look at him.  "What?"

            "You're vegetarian," he said.  That irritating smirk was back on his face.  I nodded and he clucked his tongue.  "You're a bad liar."

            I sat up straighter.  The nerve of that man!  Well, even though it was a lie, his remark was uncalled for.  "You're judging me?  You don't even know me."

            "You're right.  I don't," he replied, wiping his mouth.  "But father does."

            I stared at Heero, shocked.  "Excuse you?"

            "You didn't think that correspondence between your 'daddy' and my father stopped after the war, did you?" he asked.

            "No," I replied softly.  "I didn't think there would be any reason for me to wonder.  Daddy told me everything about his experiences in the war."

            It was a mistake on my part to look up because I met his eyes.  They were intense, focused, and... And...

            Very beautiful.  Oh boy!  Did that come from me?!  I hope I didn't say that out loud.

            "I guess you and your daddy weren't as close as you thought you were."

            His words cut through me, inside and out.  What on earth gave him the right to say that?!  I sat on the chair, immobilized by the comment.  I could feel myself going pale, horrified that on some level, Heero spoke the truth.  Maybe it was too personal for daddy to share certain details with me.

            But as I thought about it, Heero knew my daddy on a whole different level.  A level that I've been kept in the dark about.  I never thought that one day, I would come to doubt my father.

            How strange that sounded, addressing to daddy as "my father."  It sounded so... formal.

            I just picked at the salad that Lucia served, eating a crouton every now and then.  I was still engrossed at the new information Heero gave me and I couldn't help but feel bitter, pained.  It just hurt so much.  I'm tired of hurting.  Before I knew it, a headache came over me and I pushed the chair back.

            "Where are you going?"  Heero asked.

            "Where else can I go?" I asked him back.  "There's nowhere else for me to go.  You just asked me to leave my house, quit my job...  What do you want me to do now?  Report how many footsteps I made in this house everyday?  How much oxygen I inhaled?"

            "Let me finish my dinner, Relena.  I'll come up with you."

            I turned around and made my way towards the stairs.  "Don't," I said, raising my voice so he can hear me.  "Leave me alone.  I need to be isolated."

            Lo and behold, Heero entered the room not long after I came in.  By then I was laying down on the bed with my arm draped over my eyes.  I didn't even bother looking at him.  "Is it me or do you need a hearing aid?"

            I heard scuffling noises and a flick of a light switch.  Then I felt his weight on the bed; only then did I take off my arm from my eyes.  "I think you need this," he said, handing a bottle of aspirin towards me.  "And yes, it's just you.  I don't need a hearing aid."

            "No thanks," I muttered.  I turned away from him and I felt him come closer.  "For your information, I don't like taking medicine.  Only when I really need to.  Medication messes up your liver; everyone knows that."

            "So why, then, does the rest of America insist on taking aspirin and penicillin when they don't feel good?"

            "Don't make me answer that, please.  I can go on and on and on about why...  Maybe it's just the hype.  People want to live longer to experience what the future has to offer.  But we probably deserve this type of punishment from Nature.  We ruined everything else for other species for the sake of our own survival."

            The chuckle he made sent a shiver up my spine.  "You're a very interesting person, Relena.  More interesting than how your daddy portrayed you in his letters to father."  Heero expected a reaction and he got it.  I turned around and glowered at him.  "What?  Do you want to see the letters?"  
            "No," I replied, surprised.  Come to think of it, I'm very interested in the contents of those letters.  But I just didn't want to see them.  Not just yet.  "If he managed to hide things from his own daughter, what makes you think that you can trust what daddy put in those sheets of paper?"

            We stared at each other, willing the other to back down.  I'm mindful of the fact that we were both prideful people, yet I felt that he owed me at least something for making me feel awful tonight.  For causing the headache that now moved from my temple to the bridge of my nose.  Childish, I know, but...

            But Heero *did* back down first, getting up so abruptly that I bounced on the bed lightly.  "Stubborn woman," he said before he opened the door.  "Just rest."

            Even when he left, traces of his presence were still evident in the room.  I looked down on the bed and saw the slight dent that marked his prior position.  The aspirin bottle that he set on the nightstand was also a reminder.  Everything just seemed to scream "Heero was here!" and mocked me.

            Needless to say, my first night didn't produce nice dreams, as opposed to the common stereotype that living in a nice new home will.  It just brought what I didn't want.

            Memories.

March 14 Saturday, 8:16 am

            The sight that greeted me the next morning was most welcome.  Lucia was busy washing dishes, while Pagan seemed preoccupied with working the coffee machine.  It seemed as if he needed help, because when he laid his eyes on me, his instantaneous reaction was "Good morning, Miss Peacecraft!  Would you like a cup of coffee?" along with an expression that clearly yelled out "Help me!"

            I shook my head, prying his fingers from the handle of the coffee pot.  "Here, let me get that," I told him, smiling warmly.  "Let the ex-manager of a Starbucks shop do the coffee thing here from now on, okay?"

            "I tell him!" Lucia thundered from her sink.  "I tell him to wait for me, but no!  He's waiting for machine to blow, I tell you!  Men and their hard, balding heads..."

            I bit back a snort as a deep red color blanketed Pagan's face.  "Really, it's okay.  I insist on doing this.  I've never been pampered by people who are paid to do so and just because I live here now, I won't start."

            Pagan wiped a sweat from his brow and we heard one of the many telephones in the mansion ring.  "Excuse me for one moment," he said.

            After he hurried off, I walked over to Lucia and offered to help with the dishes.

            "No, no," she said, shaking her head at me in emphasis.  "I get pay to do this.  Lots and lots of money!  I wash dishes for the children who call me _abuelita_."  I watched as her face relaxed and gave way to a big grin.  "You know what it means, yes?"

            I nodded.  Thank God for those forced foreign language lessons in high school and college.  I picked Latin and Spanish, which worked for me in more ways than one.  I was able to make more flowery written material as the result of studying the roots of the modern languages today.  "It's 'grandmother'.  How many grandchildren do you have?"

            "_Cuatro_," she replied automatically.  Sadness clouded over her face, as if she was remembering a distant memory.  I felt like an invader, a trespasser inside grounds that seemed profoundly intimate.  "It was six before, you know.  My _nene_ had twins, but they die 2 weeks after they were born.  Bad, bad disease my _niňo_ and _niňa_ had.  God has mercy.  They die quick and easy in their sleep."

            "_Lo siento_," I said as sincerely as I could, though I couldn't help but wince.  For crying out loud, but that was just a bad accent!  I'll stick to English from now own.  "How's your daughter coping now?  That must have been hard to lose both children at once..."

            Lucia waved me off with a smile.  "We're okay.  We know we can't be sad forever, so she focus on her husband and career and I focus on my other grandchildren."  She wiped one of her hands and squeezed my arm lightly.  "You a lucky woman, Relena.  My se_ňorito_ has a good heart.  He is a very good man...  When he find out the twins are gone, he paid hospital full."  She raised her arms and stretched them out sideways.  "Bills were this big," she said.  "Big, big bills.  I did not know where money will come from for payment, but Heero take his wallet out and pay.  No questions."

            I couldn't help but feel the pride grow for him within me.  No wonder he was filthy, stinkin' rich!  Karma was good to Heero as he was in helping Lucia.  And as for her, she's one of the lucky few who had an angel on Earth, despite the fact that the angel was more of a nuisance.

            Then a sudden thought struck me.  Just how much of an angel is Heero?  "So...  Do you know any of his past girlfriends, Lucia?"

            "Bah.  Them _putas_," she muttered.  I gawked at her usage of such a strong expletive, but all she did was grin at my expression before continuing on.  "Never liked them.  Always long-legged, dark-haired, but always look like they have chewies."

            I laughed.  "Chewies?  How so?"

            "_Por dios, por santo!_" she cried out, throwing her hands in the air.  This threw soap bubbles at me, too.  "Ah!  Sorry, sorry.  I could not stop myself."  Lucia waited for me to wipe some of the bubbles off before continuing with her story.  "When they come and I see, their clothes are small!  Lilliputian clothing, I say to you!  But they look so skinny...  It's bad skinny.  Like that Solvent Novelty girl."

            I stopped laughing at her reference to Gulliver's Travels when I heard her say one of Heero's ex-girlfriend's names.  "Solvent Novelty?  I've never heard of anyone with such an odd name..."  
            "Madame Lucia is, of course," Pagan spoke as he entered the room, "referring to the famous supermodel Sylvia Noventa."

            "Ay, no matter," Lucia said with an indifferent shrug.  "She still horrible.  Her nose was stuck in air like this all the time."  She smiled broadly when I laughed.  "Bad bad girl.  It is good you come.  I can't believe se_ňorito_ had her as longest girlfriend.  That is before you come."

            I turned rapidly to Pagan for a deeper elaboration.  "Sir Yuy and Miss Noventa were engaged for three years before he learned of your father's death.  When Mr. Peacecraft passed away, he waited for the day your hastened marriage took place to call his engagement off."

            Oh my god... he dumped her on the day of our "wedding"!  Better yet, he probably knew beforehand that he was arranged to marry someone else, so why did he even bother finding a fiancèe?  I asked Pagan that and he shrugged.  "Only he can answer that, Miss Peacecraft."

            I nodded.  This information gave me a strong foundation on discovering Heero's 'interesting' past.  "Lucia, Pagan.  I won't be eating breakfast here, but I will be back in the afternoon."  I walked swiftly to the nearest telephone.  A few moments later, a familiar voice answered in the other line and I couldn't help but smile.  "Hi, Uncle J.  Are you busy?"

10:19 am

            While eating a simple McDonald's breakfast, we discussed the minor details that I wasn't privy to.  Needless to say, lil' ol' ignorant me found my eyes widening by continuous fractions as uncle spewed out more information than I thought possible.  "So you *did* know he was previously engaged!  But that's kind of stupid...  I mean, he knew since his father's will reading that he was pretty much stuck with me.  And that was two years ago!"

            "Yes, he did."  He chuckled his most obnoxious chuckle and I kicked him.  "Be careful of my prosthetic leg.  It's very sensitive.  But back to the matter at hand," he said before biting his hash brown.  "It's a show, Relena.  His hooplas and not-so-secret affairs with other models were just so that he won't be bored.  Everyone in the 'right circles' knew that Noventa was just a cheap thrill for Heero, but she believed that he "loved" her."

            "I guess she's a great big fan of Dolly Parton," I muttered.  "She seems to dig that whole 'stand by your man' stuff."  Before I bit into my breakfast sandwich, another thought struck me.  "But Uncle J...  I was doing research and even the dirtiest tabloid of the tabloid industry didn't have anything about that."

            He grinned slyly.  "He's smarter than I credited him for.  According to a reliable source, Heero supposedly demanded that all remaining written evidence about his engagement with Noventa be eliminated.  It's just starting to spread by word of mouth and when she hears about this, she'll be spitting balls of fire."

            Lucia was right.  This Noventa chick, no matter how famous she was, had more brain fart in her head than brain power.

            "And you, my dear," Uncle J said, "have the privilege of seeing her soon."

            Thank God for lawyers.  Not because they can weave up really good lies and are sometimes paid to tell them, but because of their memory span.  I choked on my sandwich and Uncle J actually remembered the Heimlich maneuver.  Three heaves got the damn piece dislodged from my throat.  After drinking a glass of water, I scowled at him.  "What did you mean by that?"

            "I meant what I meant.  If anything, Heero's going to force you to attend this function with him.  Since the word is out about the whole tabloid thing, your secret marriage with him might also get out with it."  He did his "tsk tsk" thing again and said, "I've seen your closet before and you, my dear, are beyond help.  I didn't even see a dress!"

            I shrugged.  "I don't care about dresses.  Never seen the use for one except for getting married."  I pouted at the memory.  And yes, I'm still bitter about not wearing a dress to my wedding.

            "What happened to you?" he asked jokingly.  "I thought you were into the whole 'dress me up' shindig.  Where did that Relena go?  Or did you just grow up and she's still somewhere inside you?"

            For a moment, I considered answering him in the same joking fashion.  But I realized that when I thought about daddy's voice, it didn't bring me comfort like it did before.  Nevermind the stories he told me; my brain was shaped for practical thinking when I was young, and what "fantasies" or "dreams" I had were for sensible reasons.  "No," I said seriously, looking at Uncle J's eyes, "she's not here anymore.  She died with daddy."


	3. The First Few Problems

Notes: I'm just one of those horrible procrastinating writers, so I joined a group called Operation: Procrastination Prevention. ::Boy, I really wish there was such a support group...:: Editing stinks, but I hope it's tolerable. And I hate raw HTML w/ a passion... ::steams::  
Disclaimer: Just for entertainment! Don't sue this minor. It's a waste of time, effort, and much needed cash.   
Going out to: everyone who's still reading this. The reviews are extremely encouraging, and you guys are the best! I'm running out of ways to say and express my gratitude... Thank you.   
  
5:06 pm  
  
    The first two things I noticed when I came back were Heero was back early, and Lucia looked anxious. "Did I miss something?" I asked, pointedly ignoring Heero's slitted eyes.
    "Where were you?"
    I was taken aback by the tone of his voice. It didn't help that the shape of his face gave the remark a sharper edge. "I was at Uncle J's. If I stayed here, I would be unproductive. So I went to his office and helped file folders."
    "Weren't you concerned about the people here?" he asked, angry. Oh, I could hear the anger... "I called to check and Lucia told me she didn't know where you've gone!"
    I dismissed his statement with the flick of my wrist. "Lighten up, Yuy. I'm twenty-six. I can take care of myself." I resumed walking towards the stairs when he stepped in front of me. Standing with him with very little distance made me feel really small... and gave my imagination wide open spaces to fill in. I cringed at such thoughts I was having, turning my head to the side. "Let me pass, Yuy."
    "Just in case you didn't notice," Heero said in a voice so low, I struggled to hear him, "you're not exactly at liberty to do everything you want to do now. You have obligations to keep. That ring on your finger has a purpose: to remind you that you are now--"
    "Married, married, I know," I interrupted. "I don't intend on cheating on you. Not now, not ever. I have more self-respect than that. And second of all," I side-stepped him, deliberately bumping my shoulder against his, "stop acting like a dad. You're so conservative."
    Lucia would later tell me that Heero stood there, his shock evident. His mouth didn't drop or anything, but his rigid stance and balled fists showed it. "He met his match," she told me gleefully. "He is so used to all girls following what he say, but not you! What a wonderful world." I prided myself for not giving so easily into his "charm" when her dreamy sigh and statement all but killed it for me.
    "You and _señorito_ are perfect couple!"
    I made a face and she roared with laughter. "_Por favor_, Lucia! Please! We're not a perfect couple, and besides," I smiled an angelic smile, "Heero seems to prefer brunettes blessed with long legs. And I'm a blonde with the height of 5'3". People make jokes about my kind all of the time."
    "Novelty has no dark hair," she said, her nose wrinkling. "She dye it. She know _señorito_ like dark hair so she dye it." She started giggling again when she saw my face. "What I like to know, _señorita_, is the joke."
    I racked my brain for a joke, and I remembered numerous ones shared with me by customers from my old job. But I decided against telling her, in the end, emphasizing my decision with a shake of my head. "Eh, nevermind. I think both of us have had it with media stereotypes." I guess the shaking motion shook my brain, which was a good thing because I needed to ask her about that thing uncle mentioned. "Hey, Lucia? Is there an upcoming... say... party that Heero always attends?"
    "Ah, let me think," she said. She sat on the bed, looking so adorable with her face scrunched up in concentration.
    A few minutes passed by and Lucia was still in the same position. I tapped her on the shoulder. "It's okay, Lucia. My life doesn't depend on this, you know. I just wanted to see if you knew about it."
    "I do," she said. "It's weird I don't have it in my head right now... Wait!" She snapped her fingers. "I know it! It's a funk... funki... fun... That word, yes?"
    "Function?"
    "_Si!"_ she exclaimed. "_Gracias_. It's for his rich friend, Quatre Winner."
    I stood there, stunned. Why, I've been having the most serious crush on that bachelor for like, forever! "Winner? As in, Quatre 'The Oil Father' Winner?"
    "Yes! Birthday. But I hear that he say it's a more important birthday," Lucia gossiped mysteriously. "Very important, yes. _Señorito_ say to me nothing else, though." She sighed. "He says it's good for Quatre, so I'm glad. Really nice guy, yes; _muy guapo_."
    Really handsome? Boy, do I know that. Maybe hanging out with Heero won't be so bad... Then he can do introductions and I can get to shake Quatre's hand and...
    Damn it. I forgot I was married. I can't get my freak on, whether I had one or not.
    My uncured-as-of-the-moment lust for the oil mogul was pushed way back in my head as another one surfaced. I cast a sideways glance at the closet door and cautiously turned my head towards it. "...You, my dear, are beyond help. I didn't even see a dress!" Uncle J's remark echoed around my head eerily. If I can only kick his prosthetic leg again for sounding so creepy...
    "Lucia?" I asked, dragging out the words from my mouth. "I need a dress. Can you help--"
    One minute, I was standing in the room with a peaceful atmosphere. The next minute, I was standing in front of a full-length mirror with a short lady that brimmed with energy. She squealed, she exclaimed, gasped, and praised. "No problem! No problem! I make dress! I can make one! Pretty, lovely dress for you!" When she finally stopped flurrying around, Lucia just stood there. She reached up and brushed my hair wistfully. "I make you beautiful, like I did my _nene_. And when you put make up on..."
    I raised my eyebrow. "I don't do make-up."
    Her eyes widened and her head lowered. "Ay yay yay. You need a lot of work." After a silent moment, she raised her head again. "No problem again. We just set time with Hilde for you. _Mañana_."
    "Tomorrow?" I repeated. "Isn't it too early? It's not going to take place until a couple of weeks."
    "Two weeks," Lucia corrected. "But that's short time. No waste! We work fast! And I say earlier," she shook her head and made the same "tsk tsk" sound Uncle J makes, "you need a lot of work."
  
  
Sunday March 15, 3:27 pm  
  
    If I thought getting a makeover was interesting, meeting Hilde their stylist was obviously not anticipated. I tilted my head sideways to get a good look at one of her piercings. Granted, it's been around; but I didn't think I'd meet anyone with such an interesting piece of jewelry... "Is that magnetically enhanced to go against the stronger force of gravity?"
    She looked at me queerly before understanding my question. "Oh. This?" Her hand reached up and yanked the nose ring as if it was nothing. Nothing! Well, I guess it was nothing because... "It's just a clip on." Hilde walked over to the trash bin and threw the accessory carelessly. "It's not "enhanced" in any way, but I thought it would "enhance" the look of my outfit."
    Speaking of her outfit, the nose ring was an incomparable addition to it. It was useless, actually. Her blue-tinted hair (it was natural, as I'd later find out) was tipped with bright pink. Along with fishnet stockings and low-cut high-heeled boots, she wore a knee-length black skirt with tattered ruffles for added texture. The only "normal", per say, in her outfit was her plain white shirt.
    Hm. Interesting. And she thought her nose ring was needed to "enhance" her outfit? I wouldn't normally pay such close attention when it comes to what people wear, but Hilde's clothes just *demanded* close attention. I was almost speechless.
    Take note I said almost. "Do you dress like that all the time?"
    Oh my... did I ask that outloud? Hilde and Lucia, who stood leaning against the counter, looked at me. Ack! I did! I stumbled on my words as I tried to come up with something to say. "I mean, what I meant was... I don't want you to think..."
    Underneath her gothic appearance, I wouldn't have known that Hilde had a sweet laugh. She shook her head while taking out some things from her purse. "No, I don't. Dressing up like this helps inspiration come to me. I'm what you'd call an eccentric person. No shame in that." She pulled up a huge plastic compartment box on the surface with a slight grunt. "Putting make-up on people is not *just* putting on make-up. It's an art. Everyone underestimates the effort that has to go into making someone look beautiful."
    I nodded, unsure of what else to do or say. Was that supposed to be poetic? Touching? And was Lucia wiping a tear from her eye?
    "Well, then," I said, clapping my hands together. "What's that?" I looked at the huge box she was tinkering with.
    Hilde took out a jangle of keys and opened her box. "This, Mrs. Yuy--"
    "Relena or Miss Peacecraft. Never Mrs. Yuy."
    "Relena," she repeated after a moment of silence, "is the make-up box."
    I did not have the faintest idea that they come in such a large size. Why, it's even bigger than my smallest piece of luggage! "That's a lotta make-up," I murmured, astounded. "How come you need so much? Do you run out easily?"
    She looked at me incredulously before turning to Lucia, who shrugged. "I tell you. She doesn't do make-up."
    "In that case, think of it this way: I am the painter, this is my huge color palette. I want to make my painting, which is you, to look as lovely as possible. And from the looks of it," Hilde walked over to me and gently turned my head from side to side, "it won't be so hard. Beautiful skin, nose bridge looks good... your facial features look very aristocratic." She smiled. "I just want to bring it out more. Accentuate your natural beauty."
    Just watching Hilde reach for what I assumed was foundation prompted my stomachs to do somersaults. I squirmed in my seat as the triangular sponge descended on my face slowly. She smoothed the cool liquid on my cheek and only then did I allow myself to relax. When she was done covering my face, Hilde looked at me and grinned. "How was it, Relena?"
    I reached up and touched my cheek. "I feel like I have paste on my face," I muttered.
    She laughed and turned to Lucia. "Come here for a second, please? I want your opinion on how I should apply the shadow on her eyes..."
    Their conversation trailed off after that. I mean, even if I wanted to, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with them. There were just too much intersparsed cosmetic words when they talked! In the meantime, I enjoyed the several looks that Hilde gave my face. Name it and I've looked it: Cinderella, valley girl, farmer girl, Madonna, tribe princess from somewhere in Nigeria... It was amazing. My face paid a huge price, though. I moved my jaw around and my skin felt stiff, caked with too much make-up.
    After a few hours experimenting, Hilde stood back and observed me silently. "Well, those are what I envisioned for you. I don't exactly have a motif to follow, so I just went wacky." She grinned. "Any idea what you want now?"
    I forced my arm to raise the mirror to my face again, even though my arm felt sore from holding it up. How curious... Now I look like a geisha. "Certainly not this one," I told her. "Yuy might feel a bit reminiscent since it has the whole Japanese feel thing to it, but I don't feel right. I noticed you did seem to focus on my eye area no matter what style it was, and it looks great."
    "I was hoping you'd notice that," she told me truthfully. "Your eye color is very unique; blue and green mixed together. It reminds me of the sea." Hilde scratched her head and looked at Lucia. "Judge? What's your verdict?"
    She nodded. "I like. But you can put blush and lip color, yes? Her skin nice, but she's pale. Need to put glow so _señorito_ notice her and say 'Wow. Sexy.' "
    My mouth dropped and Hilde laughed out loud. "Lucia! That's the last thing I'd want Yuy to say to me."
    "Wouldn't you like your husband to check you out, Relena?" Hilde asked while she wiped the make-up with one of those make-up cloths. "I mean, I know I'm prying and I apologize. But I can't seem to shake off this feeling that there's a distance between you guys. Is there?"
    "More like international distance," I replied. "We were forced together. Let's leave it at that."
    "Forced together? Oh, I know what you mean." She placed a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "Kind of like my husband and I," her hand made a squeezing motion and when she pulled it away, I looked at her aghast. She's married?! Damn it, how many more surprises are there?!
    "How so?"
    Hilde smiled. "One drunken night in Las Vegas. When I woke up, I was lying beside Duo and he was holding a marriage license. It's pretty scary, actually, to get married to someone who you've only known for two days."
    Tell me about it. Mine was less than an hour.
    "And you were drunk! If that's not being irresponsible..." She shook her head. "I'm just glad it was Duo. Even so, 'difficult' is not enough to describe how the relationship was."
    "Then why did you stay with him?"
    "Family. Pressure. Moral ethics. We share the belief that if you get married, that's it for you. You don't need to go around and collect divorce papers. Besides," Hilde shrugged helplessly, "it made it more interesting, I'd say. Duo's very handsome, but seeing his other sides made him more attractive. This 'fast' relationship is better than any of the long-term and serious relationships I've ever had." 
    I smiled sadly. "I can't say the same. Yuy is the only man I've had a "serious" relationship with." Note the quotes around serious...
    Before Hilde could say anything, we heard a dreamy sigh. Lucia had her hands clasped in front of her. "What romance. Reminds me of time when I was young... And Heriberto, my husband, would always make me smile like this. He was only friend back then, but _ay caramba_! My heart say he was not." She looked at us, smiling wistfully. "He's gone. About seven years now, but my love is the same. He will always be _mi amor_."
    My love. That's what Lucia calls her husband. Looking at Hilde, I realized she loved Duo too, even though their relationship started on the fast lane. I felt guilty, almost. Seeing their faces like that made me wonder if I'll be able to start something akin to that with Heero...
    I found myself thinking about the time when I was eleven years old. I was an avid reader of teeny bopper magazines back in those days, and nothing else has made me laugh so hard! But, I digress; maybe I've underestimated the credibility of those things. One in particular had a column called "You Know You're In Love When...", and readers were the contributors. I remembered one simple enough for me to recall no matter how far in the future I was. According to the writer, she knows she's in love when: her fingers get a tingly feeling, fireworks explode in her mind, and she hears music.
    Bah, whatever. If you ask me, the "fingers" part must be that she's losing feeling in her hands. That, in my opinion, does not sound very healthy. As for the "fireworks" and "music", well... that's just plain mental! Normal people don't hear just see and hear things that other people can't.
    Speaking of that lady, I wonder how she's doing. She's probably living in some place like Happy House: Home for the Psychiatrically Insane. What a crazy, crazy idea.
  
  
8:32 pm   
  
    "Just remember to use this eye refiner daily, a week before our appointment," Hilde instructed. "It will condition the skin around your eyes for the glob of make-up it will have to endure."
    "Do I need to?" I knew I sounded like a baby, but getting pampered like this makes me feel so... vain.
    "Yes, you do," she replied firmly. She handed me another package. "And this is what you're probably looking forward to. The cleansing wipes. Just go to the ladies' room and wipe the color away when you're done playing the lady in "Wonderful Tonight".
    "Wait! Hilde!" Lucia ran towards us and handed her two objects wrapped in aluminum foil. "_Relleno_," she said, smiling. "Meat rolls. Duo want some the last time I saw him. But hurry home! He'll be home soon, yes? It's past seven."
    I took a nap right after cleaning up with Lucia. While I thought I would never meet a nary more interesting person than the beloved housekeeper, Hilde proved it otherwise. She gave the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover," a whole new meaning for me. Come to think of it, I'm actually looking forward to our next appointment because she promised she'd bring Duo with her.
    I was roused from my nap in the family room when I heard the gates opening. When I looked at the nearby clock, 12:38 AM was emblazoned across its screen. Oh my, it was late...
    What the hell?! 12:38?! I over-napped! Worse yet, some lunatic opened the gates and was entering the grounds this very minute! I did wonder for a moment why the crazy person would let the whole mansion know that he was going to rob this place, but nevermind that! In fact, I wasn't reasoning very clearly. I took a vase and carried it with me to the most probable place the intruder was going to enter: the front door. To be on the safe side, I turned the lights off.
    So I stood there, looking probably really ridiculous with mussed hair and wrinkled attire. I pressed my ear against the door, straining to hear any footsteps ascending the marble staircase. Ah, he's good... I can't hear a thing.
    *ting ting*
    "...!!!" Don't scream Relena, don't scream! I bit my tongue until it bled. I gripped the vase tighter and raised it over my head when the door opened. "You messed with the wrong mansion, bastard!" I cried out and hit his head hard.
    Cheap vase. It was plastic! And it looked so real, too.
    Damn, it feels good to be a hero. No wonder people can make so much money off of being one! I threw my weapon behind me and rolled my captive over.
    Oh shit. Maybe it was a good thing the vase was plastic... I dropped to my knees slowly, looking at Heero's face. I poked him at his shoulder and at his stomach to see if he would move.
    He didn't.
    Oh god, oh god, oh god! Did I kill him? I'm only 26, I'm too young to be a widow! Breathe, Relena, breathe! "Don't be dead, Heero, don't be dead," I whispered and frantically pressed my ear to his chest. Well, at least his heart's beating, right? But I want him to open his eyes...
    I stood up, planning to pull him towards the family room and maybe, just maybe, lift him onto a couch. I curled my hands under Heero's armpits and pulled with all my might. Bare skin made contact with bare skin. "Yeek!" Whimpering, I wiped my fingers on my shirt. What on earth was that man thinking?! Couldn't he wear a nice, normal shirt?
    Come to think of it, was he even wearing anything? Oh, I didn't want to think about that.
    And just like our first argument, my efforts were fruitless. He didn't even budge after I pulled and strained for what felt like forever. "Damn it, Heero!" I hissed. "How is it that you're so heavy when you look so damn skinny?!"
    After a few more minutes, I just plain gave up. By that time, the clock read 12:54 AM. I looked at Heero's sprawled figure helplessly. "Of all the times to be paranoid," I asked myself, "why today?!" I decided to sit there and wait until he woke up.
    It was 12:58 when I heard a faint "Ungh..." I've never been gladder to see someone sitting up and moving. Heero tilted his head from side to side and reached up to massage his neck. "Ah, fuck."
    "How do you feel?" I asked, feeling two inches tall. He turned to look at me and I wish he hadn't. I rubbed my throat. "Umm... Would you be able to see from that distance how many fingers I'm holding up?" Come on, boy, say something! Don't just give me that look... "You're not going to sue me for spousal abuse, are you?"
    "Ouch, no, and no." I could tell in his voice that he was frowning. "What are you doing up this late?"
    "I took a nap," I replied. "I thought you were an intruder, so I... well, go figure."
    He chuckled. Sexily. His chuckle makes me think of things that would force nuns to drag me to a nearby church and force me to do confession. "I have to hand it to you, you can hit hard."
    "Yeah, and you're stupid," I said humorlessly. "You come home this late?! Can you blame me for acting on my instincts?! Where were you anyway?"
    "Meeting. And I accept your apology, Relena." I heard him walk over to the nearest switch and flicked it on. "I didn't think it would take this long."
    Is a tank top one of the standard attires for meetings? How about pajama bottoms? I gave him a once over before returning to look at his face. "It's rude to stare at people, you know," Heero chastised me softly. I sat there, paralyzed, as he made his way towards me.
    What on earth was he doing? And there's this smell I didn't notice before... It was light and faint but very distinct.
    When realization dawned on me, I huffed. Was he seducing me?! ME of all people! How dare he! "What do you mean apology? I did not give you any form of apology," I told him. I turned around to hide my face. "You know what? I think you deserved that! Next time, if you're going to be home late, call!" I yelled before going up the stairs.
    And then I figured out what the smell was. Women's perfume.
  
  
*******************  
::tsk tsk:: Bad, bad Heero... 


	4. The First Few Problems Get Worse

School is heck. Teachers give hecka homework. Finals are hecka close. Heck is bad. Summer is hot as heck, but heck, I can't wait for it to be here! And heck no, Gundam Wing does not belong to me.   
*Oh, yeah... Spongebob belongs to Nickelodeon, and Barbie to Mattel. Don't want to get lawsuits or anything because of them, too. Everything will make sense as soon as this chapter is read... ^_^;;  
Going out to: the people who have e-mailed and left reviews. They really are encouraging and effective stuff to fend off minor and major writer's blocks! Truffles for everyone! OKAY! I'm done! On with the show... Hope the format's better! ^_~  
  
Monday March 16, 8:02 am  
  


I glumly looked at the tea cup in my hands the following morning. "I did that?" I asked Pagan weakly. I just learned that he had to drive Yuy to work because he was still seeing double from last night's incident. 

He nodded. "Fortunately for Sir Yuy, most people at the office are frightened of him. If they see an unusual amount of hair protruding at the back of his head, they will be smart enough to let it alone." 

"Protruding at the back of his head?" 

"Because of the bump, Miss Peacecraft. Hair was sticking out this morning." He grinned at me. "I've never had much fun in this occupation, until I noticed Sir Yuy was going through this for the first time..." 

Riddles! Pagan talks in riddles, I swear! Mornings are not the time to give Relena Alessandra Peacecraft riddles! Especially after that Relena hit her husband on the head just mere hours ago! "Go through what, Pagan?" I asked as patiently as I could. Don't be rude, Relena; control the twitch on your left eye, Relena... 

"Sexual tension," he said mischievously. 

Note to self: mischievous Pagan is a scary Pagan! 

Unfortunately for me, however, it was the time that I chose to sip some tea. Pagan had to work out his aging bones quite rapidly because I started choking on the supposedly "soothing" liquid. 

"Sexual tension?" I asked between gags. "Seriously. I didn't think I'd be attractive enough to be considered as a potential mate." 

"There's an echo in here," he replied dryly. "Yes. Sexual tension. Specifically one between a married man and his wife, who adamantly refuses any sexual relations nor physical contact to pass between them." He smiled at me and gave my back a final pat. "Do you feel better now, Miss Peacecraft?" 

I sighed. "I suppose so, Pagan." 

"If you'll excuse me," he said. "I need to give the car a wash." I nodded and waited until Pagan was out of the kitchen before banging my head on the counter. 

How is it that people know about this sexual tension thing when I don't even feel it?! 

And there's still that issue about that perfume I smelled on him... 

Oh, don't even go there! I'm not jealous! I'm keeping up my end of the marriage contract, so it's only fair that I demand Yuy to do the same thing, isn't it?! I'm playing the part of committed wife, and here he is, playing Heero the Gigolo. For all that I'm going through for this man, I think I should give him one good, agonizingly painful kick in his damn shins... 

"You okay, _señorita_?" Lucia asked when she came in. "You look mad." 

"I am. I feel guilty, though, but mad all the same." When I looked at her, all she gave me was a blank look. "Do you know what I'm talking about? Last night? Or more like this morning... Really, really early morning." 

"I was sleeping. I wake up and everyone was not in kitchen, so I take shower. Pagan tell me nothing." 

I explained it to her and for a moment, I was afraid that I put Lucia into a catatonic state. I thought about stopping and snapping her out of her trance, but I knew that she was listening. Her barrage of rapid Spanish sentences proved my thoughts right. Her sudden stop and sly smile made me raise my eyebrow. "You sound jealous." 

"Oh, hell no!" Geez, I *swear* there's a conspiracy against me! Didn't I just think earlier that I'm not jealous? "How can I be jealous? I don't even love the guy!" 

Lucia just shrugged me off. "There is more than one way to be jealous, _señorita_," she told me sternly. I shut out the rest of her words after that, too deep into my own thoughts and theories... hypotheses. Whatever. 

I *don't* love him or I *can't* love him? There are differences between those two, no matter how vague they may be. These differences actually matter, unlike the supposed "real meanings" between "I don't know" and "Maybe". How many songs have been written that reiterate time and time again that love takes time? I've always thought that whole "love at first sight" was a bunch of b.s. only because... well... It's a hormone surge. I mean, come on! Can you seriously tell me that you love a stranger just by seeing them? How about knowing what they're about? Will a person be capable of loving another when they don't know what ticks them off and what tickles their fancies? 

But then again if I think about it, Heero's not at all unfamiliar to me anymore. He's stubborn, he's a hybrid between patient and quick tempered, and he's sexy! Now if we were talking about lust, then that's something I can easily admit to. I was about to explain that to Lucia when she started pushing me out of the kitchen. "Hey! What are you doing?" 

"Out! Dress up!" she thundered. "Your brain is messy! We clear it out by taking you fabric shopping with me." 

"For?" 

I heard her curse in Spanish. "_Señorita_! Your dress! I make your dress and you say I can, yeah? Remember?" 

The party. The Oil Father's party. The dreaded party where I get the privilege to meet Heero's ex-fiancee. Can't I just be my anti-social self once more? I sighed and resigned myself to the surprisingly strong pushes of my "boss". But only because it was too early in the morning!  
  
12:01 pm  
  


Seeing Lucia chew on her pencil made me think of a mathematician at work. After the fabric shopping, I've pretty much been a mannequin for the past two hours. I stood there, being scrutinized, and sighed. "This is the eighth fabric," I told her. "When can I sit down?" 

"No. No sitting," Lucia replied around the pencil. "Ay. Velvet not good on you. Oh!" She unwrapped the roll of cloth around me and took out a new one. "This, yeah?" Suddenly, she frowned. "Yuck. Corduroy. Why did person give me weird fabric? I'm angry! You remember the name of girl?" 

I nodded. "I think it was Cory or something." 

Her nose wrinkled and she flipped her wrist. "Bah. She's new. No wonder I got wrong stuff." 

"You got what?!" I walked around the counter and stared at what looked like a pile of fifty bags sitting on the floor. "You've spent nearly five hundred dollars for these things! How can you sound so unconcerned and nonchalant and indifferent and..." When I looked at Lucia, she was staring at me as if I grew three heads. "Do you see what I mean?" 

"No," she replied. "Words are too big. But I think you say that, why is it I don't care?" I nodded. "Because! I am regular customer! Manager knows me so if he knows I don't need something I get, I just take it back and they give me my money. And he knows _señorito_, so it's okay." Then she made this weird facial expression and pointed at my chest. "Pull up, _señorita_, yes?" 

I looked down. My cheeks flaring, I pulled up the material roughly and fixed it around my torso. Such a great reminder why I never wore these girly tube tops and halter tops in the first place... "Thank you. But I never wanted to wear this from the start!" 

"Oh, so you'll do the fitting naked?" Lucia shook her head. "I don't like idea. No... What if there's Peeping Tom or something?" 

"Well, the naked part sounded nice," a new voice said. I almost turned my head to shout at the rude person who entered our conversation; that was, however, before the voice registered in my brain and I realized who it was. 

Yup. I'm assuming that because my face became so pale, Hilde wouldn't need much of her white powder make up to turn me into a geisha once more. 

But see, my warrior side told me to "Gather your bearings, Peacecraft! This is a war! Anytime you see this hunk of a devil is a war!" So gather my bearings I did and when I turned around, I had a scowl on my face. Oh, I'm so good... I seriously should get the Bald Statue with the Golden Testicles (aka good ol' Oscar) for this. "What are you doing here?" 

"It's lunch. Can't I spend time with my wife?" Heero proceeded to walk in the kitchen and stopped right beside Lucia. "Arthur called me at work," he told her. "I heard you guys walked out of that store with tons of material." 

"_Si, señorito_. But nothing!" She scratched her head in a frustrated manner and gestured towards me. "She's hard! She's too beautiful for these fabrics!" 

I never thought I'd resort to distracting myself by looking at the ceiling, then wonder whether it was painted cream, off-white, or ivory white. 

"But she never utilized that beauty, did she?" he asked, giving me a mocking smile. 

I gasped. That guy goes too low! "Hey! I take offense in that!" I propped my hands on my hips and glared at him. "No, I'm not saying I think I'm downright beautiful, if that's what you're going to use to pick on me later! As a matter of fact, just because I didn't get caught up in the whole 'dress up' hype..." 

"Look who's insinuating now. I never said you were ugly. I just asked about why you never did use it, even to just play around." I watched as he walked towards Lucia's stash of fabrics and took out a roll of silk pearl pink fabric. Without any warning at all, Heero wrapped it around me instead of asking Lucia to do so. 

"Because it reminded me too much of Barbie and I hated her," I answered through gritted teeth. Yes, folks, it was one of my pathetic attempts to distract myself from his proximity. I just know I had multiple heart palpitations while he was doing so! I was more worried about him feeling it... 

The next thing he did was that he brushed the knuckle of his thumb against my breasts. How do I know that? His pace was deliberately slow; it became even slower when he got to those areas. "Heero..." 

I felt his warm breath against my exposed shoulder. "You know," he said in a low voice, "that was the first time you called me by my first name while we're talking." 

The comment was the splash of cold water I needed. "I know," I responded, trying to project an irritated voice. "That's why I hope you enjoyed it. Because it's the first and the last time." 

The nerd had the nerve to still chuckle! What's worse, I felt his lips brush against my shoulder! ARGH! This is harrassment, I say to you! Harrassment! But... would it still be harrassment if there's a hint of enjoyment on my part? 

Anyway... 

"I like!" Lucia yelled. "This good!" She grinned widely and took the material from him gently. "I make dress out of this one. Pink is okay, _si_?" 

"It's a nice pink," I answered, sounding withdrawn even to myself. I felt listless when I took a shirt and pulled it over my head. "I can wear it." 

Lucia walked over to me and felt my forehead. "You okay? You were happy earlier and now you look bored and tired." 

It's the second time I lied to her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just go watch TV or something. I didn't think modeling would be tiring." As I walked towards the living room, I can feel Heero walking behind me. I let him, which was out of character for me. I know he was bound to notice that, but for some reason, I was not in the mood to pick a fight with him. 

We sat down on the couch in complete silence, our hands both at our sides. The TV was on, though I wasn't watching. I saw the images, but I wasn't comprehending what the show was about. The thought of Heero coming home for lunch just ran through my mind again and again. The clincher to that was he came home for lunch to spend time with me. 

And then there was that thing that happened earlier... Oooh, boy, can someone get me a glass of cold water? 

Mind games. That's what it was. He's playing with my mind by acting like the "devoted" husband that he was supposed to be. I know he's doing otherwise. I don't think a man is in his right mind when he starts wearing perfume. Well, that excludes scented body lotions. Come to think of it, some of my male ex-employees were proud owners of a number of bottles from a highly successful lingerie company. "It really moisturizes," one of them confessed to me. "Besides, it comes in handy sometimes. My girlfriend right now talks to me about those things and it makes her happy that I can keep up." 

The images that thought conjured in my mind disturbed me greatly, especially since Heero was in all of them. 

Even when Lucia came in to serve Heero lunch, which was about twenty minutes later, not a word passed between us. "Wow, is this fun or what?" she asked loudly. "You guys know what you're watching? Spongebob! Grandchildren watch him, too." She left the room, singing the opening song. 

Oops. 

I turned the TV off, much to his indignance. "Why'd you turn it off?" he asked through his mouthful of sandwich. "I was paying attention." 

I faced him and I noticed that there was some mayonnaise on the side of his mouth. Before I knew it, my arm extended and my fingers wiped it off. My fingers felt a tingling sensation after I pulled away. 

Can someone explain to me what just happened back there? 

"Turn it back on, then," I replied, trying my hardest to ignore his surprised gaze on me. "It's not hard. And besides, you're the one who followed me here." 

"It's my house." His eyes were amazing: one minute they reflected shock and the next, they looked like a pair of seas churning in a violent storm. 

"Feel free to kick me out," I snapped, standing up abruptly. "Who said I wanted to move in here anyway? Who said I wanted to marry you?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to take them back. I ran out of the room and up the stairs, feeling the urge to fling myself on my bed. 

Harsh reality check: Relena Peacecraft needs to stuff a sock in her mouth. 

I don't know how much time elapsed until Heero came up to the room. Instead of looking at him and taking full responsibility for what I said, I pretended that I was sleeping. He sat down beside me and stroked my hair. "I'm not going to give up on you, Relena," I heard him whisper. His fingers danced over my exposed cheek and he gave it a kiss. 

Heero was out of the room when I lost control of my tears. I laid there, not sobbing or breathing harshly for air. I just let them flow. I hope that Lucia wouldn't happen to come in the room to see me in this state...  
  
March 26 Thursday, 11:06 am  
  


The mansion was somewhat quieter in the days that followed. Pagan did not say a word to me, either. He would greet me cordially, and stayed out of my way. Lucia, true to her word, worked on my dress diligently, but we hardly talked. She may have heard my outburst and was probably reeking with disappointment. She meant what she said about Heero and I with all her heart and soul. Me, being the silly girl I was, just realized that in the silence that sprouted between us. 

I remember daddy as someone who wasn't much of a sentimentalist; neither was I. It was probably one of the reasons why we thought the ceremonies that came with burying the dead was a waste of time. One of his favorite quotes in the Bible can be found in the Book of Genesis: "From dust you are and dust you shall return." 

"Why later and not sooner? People are just slowing down the inevitable," he told me. I was probably eleven years old at around that time. "Our bodies are but mere vessels. They're just made of dirt and water. No matter how much formaldehyde they use on our dead bodies, all of us are going to go back to what we really are." 

"Don't you want pretty flowers on your grave, daddy?" I asked. 

He cupped my chin and kissed my nose. "No, baby. I don't want flowers on my grave. I can't appreciate the flowers because I'm dead. Besides, they're better as Earth's living and life-sustaining creations than presents, wrapped in plastic and tied together by a rubber band." 

"Then what do you want me to do?" 

"I want you to remember me," he replied. "I want to be in your heart. I know you don't remember much of mommy, but you still have her there. Remember what we talked about and live up to them, and I'll be happy." 

Two weeks ago, daddy got what he wanted. His body was cremated and I scattered them out into the sea. No one was informed of the ceremony and there never was a funeral or a viewing of the body, whatever it was. Then again, we weren't really close to anyone, not even to mommy's family. The communication with them was severed a long time ago, when I was a little girl. Instead, it was just the priest and I who were present. It was that important to me. In fact, I waited for the priest to leave before I scattered his ashes. 

Daddy really was the only person I had left in the world. 

The sea was daddy's final place. The cliff I stood upon when I dispersed his dusty remains became my sanctuary. His presence was stronger when I'm there, somehow. 

There was a light breeze when I sat down at the edge. The sounds, the smell, even the temperature were all the same the last time I was here. The birds above me were also the same ones who were present when I was last here, on the day his ashes mixed with the sea. I remember feeling detachment that day, too sad to actually care about anything. 

I felt betrayed. I have come to terms with his passing, but still... I was bitter towards him for hiding so many things. Shingo Yuy is one, followed by the stipulations of that damnable hidden will. Daddy's secret of Heero Yuy takes the greater part of this bitterness. 

Now, I was trembling uncontrollably, because I was angry. Words fall short to describe my anger. I was able to reflect on what I learned about daddy after his death. Can it get anymore ironic than that? "In a few days, I'll be forced to smile in Heero's ex-fiancee's face and you're not here to tell me how to act. You left," I said softly. "You left and now, all I seem to feel is anger. The nearness of you kept me sane. You know that, don't you?" 

The birds answered my question with their calls and caws. I looked at my hands; the rocks scraped off bits of my skin and dirt filled the cuts. I slid backwards, then stood up and brushed myself off. I thought I'd be able to figure out some things here, but I just became more confused. I bowed my head and looked at the waves. The breeze picked up again, taking delight in lifting strands of my hair and flipping it in my face. I took one last look at the sea before I walked away. 

I didn't go back to the mansion when night fell. Instead, I went to my old house. I stepped in and turned the lights on, surprised that the electric company has not yet terminated their service as I requested. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise. 

Walking through the hallways was like taking a walk down memory lane. I didn't have the heart to put the pictures down nor sell the furniture when I packed up and moved at the mansion. I felt a little bit lighter as I walked more. But yet... something was missing. 

Home is where the heart is. Hell, I don't even know where my heart's at. 

I thought that 1427 Lansdowne Lane would always be my home. It was the building that witnessed every memorable event in my life, good or bad; it became the silent witness to daddy's death. 

My old bed in my room beckoned and I yielded to it, flopping on it carelessly.  
  
March 27 Friday, 11:25 am   
  


In the end, I decided to go back to the mansion. The sun was high by the time I got there and when I was inside, I heard absolutely nothing, save for the lone vacuum cleaner sucking up the dust bunnies somewhere in the mansion. I followed the sound and ended up in a room upstairs; one I've never seen before. Lucia was kneeling on the carpet, collecting the balls of lint and dirt the vacuum wasn't able to pick up. 

She looked up at me and turned off the cleaning machine. "You're back," she said. "Did you eat? I cook breakfast burrito. You can see if _señorito_ save some." 

"I ate," I answered softly. The atmosphere was still awkward for me to start small talk with Lucia. I don't know if it was guilt or just because of the tension that started earlier this week. So I contented myself by looking around the unfamiliar room, which I determined was the mansion's library as I assessed it. 

It wasn't long until I heard someone sniffling. Lucia was wiping her nose with the sleeve of her shirt when I turned around. "I thought you wasn't coming home," she said. I knelt beside her, but she waved me off. "No, no! You listen, yes? Your husband-"  


"Lucia, do we have to go through this again?" 

"Your husband," she repeated again, more firmly this time, "spent night until morning looking for you. He called your scary Uncle Lawyer and he says to _señorito_ that you did not call." Her hands reached for the hem of her apron and she wiped more tears. "He looked tired when he came. It was 1 in the morning. Your husband give up and said if you want to come back, you will." Through her shaky smile, I could still see the sadness in her eyes. 

I nibbled on my lip. Somehow, I knew that this incident will be the first and the last. "Will you feel better if I say that I'll tell you when I'm leaving?" I asked. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." 

"No," she replied and my heart sank. "No. You cannot leave. It's not okay to say to me when you will go and not come home." Lucia looked at me sternly. "You are married, _señorita_. No matter what you are thinking, you are stuck with _señorito_. You have to fix problems together." 

"I know," I said, finally able to smile. "I've exercised too much, I think. I've been doing a lot of running as of late." 

She looked at me for a long moment before understanding dawned on her. Lucia's hearty laugh bounced around the room and I knew that I was forgiven. "You still heelareeus." 

I shared her laughter. Only she could make hilarious sound so Spanish. At that instant, I realized that this place was home, no matter how much I disliked its owner.   
  
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Last notes: Feels rushed, but I tried... ::sigh:: Never liked writing drama, although I did write an angsty short story... Finals are first and foremost on my mind right now, so good luck to everyone who has finals! May we all step up to the challenge and meet it well. 


	5. The First Few Realizations The Party

_Notes_: For all the strong reactions and the mixed emotions reviews I received for the last chapter, I thank you. *bows* The romantic part is finally here! We're happy about that, I think. ::sigh:: This was difficult to write, but the reviews helped more than anyone will know, and that was the fuel behind this chapter, for sure. Here's hoping that this long chapter was worth the wait. :) Thank you also for the correction (_señor_ vs. _señorito). However, the use of __señorito and __señorita was intentional, and I will be using them for the rest of the story.  
  
More notes at the bottom. One of them is actually pretty important because it regards Lucia's language limbo. (Mark! Thank you for asking, because me thinks it's one of my common "Well, duRr!" moments) So ::poke poke:: mosey on down over there after you're done reading. Please? :)  
  
FINAL WARNING: SARCASM AHEAD BY THE GALLON, POUNDS, ETC.! Proceed at your own discretion. More enjoyable if it is read along with Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On". Did I mention that this was a long chapter?  
  
  
March 28 Saturday, 6:52 pm_

Too soon, the night of the party came. More like, next night soon. I didn't even see Heero for the whole day since I came back to the mansion. Lucia told me that he was trying to finish his work so he can relax at Winner's party. "I let him know you come home, though," she ended, feeling proud of herself as shown by the smile on her face. "He sounded pleased. He told me to say to you that he will come home and then you will go."

"Won't he want to take a nap or something?" I asked, not noticing Lucia's smile turn into a knowing one.

"No, he's ok. Besides, he has pretty woman to keep him awake. If he decides to sleep," her smile turned into a impishly conniving grin, "offer him your lap, of course!"

The way she said that... it was like the most obvious thing in the world to do.  It made my face colour into so many hues of red.

"Isn't he mad?" I asked quietly. I had an inkling that he was still upset about the events of the previous day. Not that I blame him, but the guilt was eating me alive. Slowly and torturously. I have never wanted to say sorry to someone so badly in my life. 

Until now.

Words cheapen emotions. Actions enhance and amplify them. If Heero gives me the chance, I will be a good girl tonight.

Lucia's hand patted mine, her warmth seeping through the clammy skin of my hand. "He's hurt. But he's better since you came back. That's all he wanted." Her smile willed strength in me that I couldn't help but feel uplifted.

The dress? Oh, yes, the dress. Lucia was an expert seamstress, but Lucia the seamstress and the deviant Lucia were a dangerous combination. Nevertheless, the dress was beautiful. It was strappy, with a back so low it makes me blush just at the thought of it. Folds of the pink silk gracefully draped over my chest. The dress was meant to bring out curves, but it was so tight that I seriously thought Lucia sewed some modernized form of a corset in it. "Don't breathe from your stomach tonight," Hilde suggested at the expression on my face.

I got the feeling that Lucia had way too much fun with this dress. Suspicions, suspicions...

Hilde brought Duo with her, as she had promised. Words just fail to describe their compatibility with each other because... well... they're just _it! They could finish each other's sentences, be so affectionate to one another that they don't even notice themselves doing it... If Hilde never told me their story, I would think they've known each other their whole life._

I was completely at ease with their presence. Since they came, my room was filled with laughter, jokes, and chides. I missed moments like this! Everything was just happy and nice and friendly... It reminded me of the time I was still working at Starbucks, where the team would just gossip, joke around, and exchange stories about unforgettable customers.

Until a certain suggestion was made and I was literally forced to go with it. And for some reason, my suspicion that everything tantalizing and risquè about this dress was intentional just became stronger.

"Maxwell, I will kill you."

It didn't matter which one turned to look at me because I was referring to both. Duo was showing me his mischievous grin, while Hilde donned a sheepish grin. "It will get better," Hilde tried to reason. "It's not all that bad in the beginning."

"Besides," Duo winked, "the husband will like it. That's, of course, if he'll be able to have it by the end of the night."

Just what on earth are we talking about?! I'll put it in simple terms: they forced me to wear a thong. As in the thong with a pathetically small triangle patch of fabric, with three strings connected to each vertex of the triangle. They call this underwear?! It's not, I tell you! I'd rather go to places without wearing undergarments than to wear one such as the kind I'm using! But alas, the things I do for modesty...

"You've gone through worse, Relena!" Hilde pleaded. "Keep it on! Would you seriously show your panty lines for the rest of the night?! That's embarrassing!"

"Yeah, and then you and Mr. Anal will be able to rock the party. As in literally." Duo was snickering when something black, hairy, and made of plastic hit him on the head. "Aw, Hilde!" he distressed, sneezing when his nose couldn't handle the particles of "Shimmering Pearl" powder. "I told you those giant blush-on brush things hurt like a mother-"

Hilde rested her forehead on her left hand, and raised her right hand towards him. "You know, your lewdness is entirely out of place for the moment. Actually, your lewdness is out of place _anytime. So unless you want to spend some quality time with your sleeping bag out in the living room tonight, you should say more appropriate things, okay?!" She exhaled. "Relena, seriously. Keep the thong. It's not like you're going to tell the world that you're wearing one. Besides, those wrinkly old ladies that you see on TV? Or in movies?" Her head bobbed up and down knowingly. "It's the thong, baby. It's the thong."_

I gasped. "You're kidding." But Hilde shook her head at me. Dammit! How is it possible that old ladies, whose thighs shared huge resemblances to cottage cheese, could even bear the agony of having mere string between their wrinkled buttocks?! I'm only in my twenties and I can't stand the damn things...

The moment I realized that, I gained more respect for such elder women.

Thank God for Hilde and Duo to fill me in with trivia. I was never into the whole "what's in and what's not" type of thing; besides, I was busy! Now, if I really needed to know something that was in that category, I could just ask her. Lucia seems pretty knowledgeable about stuff like that, too. I pulled my skirt down, extremely uncomfortable with my underpants. "You guys owe me big time." God, the urge to just let go and _pull that eternal chewy was too great to resist..._

I played it cool. When no one was looking, I pulled discreetly. The fleeting comfort gave way to the bothersome sensations once more. Cursed chewy! Curse all chewies! And God bless string bikinis.

"Nope," Duo told me. "You owe us. But seriously, be careful tonight. It's a party for a Forbes Top 100 List member and it's going to be big. The hounds are guaranteed to be there."

His eyes were serious; Hilde's eyes were also serious. I turned around to get my shoes. "So what about reporters?" I muttered. "They're just there for the scoop, right? Check out the party, try the shrimp cocktail, and then _'¡Vamonos!'_ before we know it." They didn't reply. "You mean to tell me that every stereotype I've heard about reporters obsessed with getting their story are true."

"Most tabloid reporters are, anyway. You've got to understand that Heero's big in their world, Relena. They'll sniff out everything that they could on him." Hilde's tone was frank; her expression was hidden from me. While talking, her back was turned to me as she cleaned up a bit. "Some of them became familiar faces. But they got tired of him eventually, because it was like listening to the same song over and over again in different remixes. Girl, dumped; new girl, dumped; new girl again." Her luggage of make-up clicked shut. "The ones at the party might be a little nicer. I mean, Quatre's one of the nicer people in the whole upperclass society thing. Making the nice guy mad is not good for a tabloid." Then she turned and smirked at me. "Heero doesn't do anything about it, though. I guess now that he's got you, maybe you could give him a bit of a backbone. Not that I'm saying he doesn't have one, but with them... he just doesn't bother. The only time I recall that he ever did anything about them was... you know..."

I knew. It was when he told every single tabloid to erase everything they've got on his engagement with Sylvia Noventa. It didn't matter if he did it when he found out daddy died or after we got married. It was a big deal because he just _did_ it.

Duo's next words sent an anvil down my gut. "Funny that we started talking about Sylvia. Isn't she going tonight, also? She didn't take the break-up very well and she's unpredictable as she is creepy."

"Duo!" Hilde sent him a glare before turning to me. "Don't mind him, Relena," she said apologetically. "Heero chose you. And Sylvia's just spoiled, that's all. Bet you anything Heero's value to her is the same as a Louis Vuitton bag."

Wow. What a good way to start the night. Sweat formed at the base of my neck and I reflexively rubbed it off me. "Umm... Can we go downstairs now? Lucia wanted to see me as soon as possible and I have every intention of putting my shoes on down there." They raised their eyebrows at me and I shook my head. "I'm, you can say, gravitationally impaired. The last time I wore these was at my high school prom, during sophomore year."

I descended the stairs somewhat sluggishly, with this paranoia that I will rip my dress if I as much stretch my legs to take the next step. "Duo, thanks for the braid idea," I said as we were going down. "I thought you were talking about cornrows, but these small braids do the trick."

That's when men's cologne assaulted my senses. Nice, fresh, and crisp... I thanked God I didn't keel over.

"Hilde, did Duo put something on before we got out of the room?" I asked. When no one replied, I turned around. Husband and wife had these goofy grins on their faces, their eyes at the bottom of the stairs. "Hilde, I was asking-"

"_Aie_! You're so lovely!" Lucia squealed. "Come down! Or look down here first! That dress looks nice on you! Oh, I'm so good..."

I propped my hand on my hip and turned around, ready for my comeback statement, when I saw that she wasn't alone at the bottom of the stairs. It was also a reminder why one should never meet a gorgeous man eye to eye because the risk of paralysis was high.

Heero's eyes pulled me down to him. Entranced, I continued to descend, not aware of anything but him. His gaze seemed to caress me, though any emotion was not evident on his face. My body started to tingle and I was reminded of that article I memorized long ago.

Oh my god... Am I falling? But there's no fireworks or music! I guess that's a good sign; at least I know I'm not going insane. Then again, maybe musing and going down the stairs at the same time was a bad idea.

One foot stepped on the hem of my dress and I was falling literally.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Damn gravity impairment!

"Ack!" I exclaimed, my arms flailing to grab onto anything in an attempt to save my dignity and pride. What they touched instead was a pair of warm shoulders as I limply hung from Heero's arms. I felt the blood rush all around my body, extremely embarrassed.

I peeked over his shoulder, my eyes teary from the sudden rush of blood in my head. Even then, Heero kept his tight hold on me, warm hands on my back. "You're beautiful." His words carried much sincerity and he said it so softly, I thought I was going to melt... I didn't push him away, surprising myself. Instead, I allowed him to hold me as long as he wanted to, as he wished to.

There was a panicked exclamation from Lucia and we let go of each other, though Heero lingered for a moment. "Oh my god! Are you okay?! I saw that, I saw that! Oh, _lo siento_! I'm sorry for distraction!" Suddenly I was surrounded by her, a laughing Duo, and an annoyed Hilde. I vaguely heard her say something about how insensitive her husband was, but it didn't really matter.

All that mattered was Heero smiling, albeit its small size. And he was smiling because of me.

That's one point, Relena. Hope you can keep him in a good mood for the rest of the night.  
  
  
7:21 pm

What a lovely, lovely limousine I was riding in at the moment.

Observe how spacious the distance was between Heero and I.

At the moment I entered the limousine, I scooted myself as far away from him as possible, practically gluing myself to the corner of the other side. I sat there, snuggled in my coat while I twiddled my fingers restlessly. I was uncomfortable and I knew it. This was the first time I've ever been alone with him in an enclosed space.

The silence itself was overwhelming and I opted to talk to Pagan, as opposed to the Adonis-like person who was right next to me. What should I talk to Pagan about, though? How about if I ask for gum? Anyone who's driving would be insane to not have gum with them. "Pagan, I was wondering if-"

"Privacy? Of course I wouldn't mind." Before I can protest, the mechanical sounds of the separating window came to life and slid a sheet of dark tinted glass between the side I was in and the side that Pagan was in.

Great! I hate it so much when people just put words in my mouth! There goes the last thing that keeps me from... from... I turned to look at Heero.

Come on, Relena! Talk! But be nice... Your tendency of saying before thinking is very, very high.

"You've been sitting there like a statue," I told him. "Are you concentrating to see if you can turn yourself into one? I can't even hear you breathe."

Being nice just flew out the window.

"It's too quiet..." I murmured. He didn't even say anything, and I think it's because he's starting to get used to my argumentative tendencies. But my reasons were different now. Before, I argued with him because I disliked him. But now, I wanted to fill the silence in the vehicle. Because this silence was triggering images in my head that I was definitely not ready to think about. All of them happened to include that guy I was stuck with in the backseat.

Oh lord... **backseat**? We all know what happens in the backseat, right?! Pull the coat closer around you, Relena. You will feel safe... nice, warm, CLOTHED, and safe...

Heero turned to look at me, and I had a gut feeling that he noticed the little shiver earlier. "Cold?" he asked. When I shook my head no, he nodded. "I agree with you. It's too quiet. Pagan," Heero called while pressing a button on his side; I heard the elderly man reply. "Turn the radio on and tune in to 104.7."

"Checking on Dr. Maines, sir?" he asked. I assumed that it was the name of the DJ.

"Yes. I'm just doing a follow up."  I looked at him queerly.  Without turning around, and without me asking him, he spoke.  "Just problems with the station."

"Maybe you just approved too much workload for him, sir. Maybe he's starting to get confused between Bach and the BeeGees. He is assigned to two different stations, after all."

Heero's eyes flashed sternly. "I don't care. He asked for it, he said he can handle it, and he better be playing the Beegees, the oldies in this station..."

I leaned against my seat. Music! Music fills the emptiness... Noise fills emptiness. I heard him ask if I didn't mind, and I almost nodded my head too fast. They were playing endorsements, something that I usually hated. Right now, however, the guy making stupid noises sounded like Pavarotti to my ears.

Anything... ANYTHING... To drive the silence away until we get to the function.

"One-oh-four point seeeveeeen, at night," the jingle singers sang. I smiled softly, relief and relaxation washing over me like warm water on a cold day.

_Waa waa waa waaauaaaa..._

Oh, hell no... Now *that* was a splash of ice-cold water on a cold day.

_I've been reeeally tryyyyyin', baaayyb-eh..._

Of all the songs... did it have to be Marvin Gaye singing "Let's Get It On"?!?!

Then the most amazing thing happened. Heero, the composed one; Heero, the collected one; Heero, the cool one, bolted right up and pushed the button again. "Pagan, change the station." His words were spoken quickly and mists of sweat dotted across his forehead. "He's all right. My god, he's too all right..."

"What was that about?" There was a double-meaning to my question: one was the timing of the song, and the other was towards his reaction. He shook his head at me, which left my brain to conjure its own crazy theories and conclusions. Then he took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead from the sudden sweat. Beside him, the intercom that linked us to Pagan was still on and more of the music wafted through it.

_Oooh, come on, oooohh... Let's get it on... oh baby! Let's get it on... ooh suuugar..._

My eyes widened when I realized that Pagan was singing along with it. Beside me, I heard sudden shuffling and when I looked, Heero turned the small intercom off and rubbed his face harshly. "Damn..." I heard him mutter.

I gave him a lingering look before turning my head fully to look at the scenery as we whizzed by. No matter how stupid this thought was right now, I wondered if the song reminded him of Sylvia. Before, the mere thought of her was one I accepted as a fact. But her title and role in Heero's history, for some reason, began to intimidate me, even hurt me somewhat...

The only decent conversation that sprouted between us was when we were close to the hotel. Heero moved closer to me and murmured close to my ear. "When we get there, you have an idea of what to expect, am I right?"

I nodded. "A pretty good idea... Hilde and Duo prepared me somehow."

"Good. You're a new face with me, Relena. They'll be asking questions and if the questions bother you, just keep on saying 'no comment'. Ignoring them may be better." He stopped me when I opened my mouth to retort. "I know that you'll want to say something should you feel offended with one of their questions, but please. I know this territory more than you do; I'll handle it." Then he held my hand and squeezed it.

I didn't fight him. I was too busy thinking of how to present myself when we go out there. It's enough that Heero already has a controversial name in the industry, so he didn't need me to drag him even lower.

After all, I owed him for the stupidity I committed.

Then there was Sylvia. I wondered if she'll be wearing the same perfume that I smelled on Heero that one night. I suspected it was her. She was the last woman, besides me, who had close access to Heero. Well, it was my hypothesis anyway. Unless he had a secretary, or a close female friend. And he did have a lot of female friends... Maybe he invites them over while he's working...

_You know little about him_, my stupid conscience told me. _What are you basing your hypothesis on?_

Uhh... Tabloids?

_Oh, right. Trash material._

Damn it! I hate it when I'm right.

But who would be crazy enough to visit him at such an ungodly time? And who would be crazy enough to pick a fight with their conscience?! My stomach was lurching already and we're not even at the hotel yet!  
  
  
8:33 pm

I was still pondering these things when Pagan pulled up and a valet opened the door. I didn't know if Heero looked at me, because I kept my eyes away from him eversince our conversation trailed off. I felt him tug at my hand and when he descended from the limousine, I took one last calming breath... well, as calming as it could get... before following him.

Lights flashed across my eyes like crazy before they came to a sudden standstill. I noticed everyone was gawking at Heero and me, though for what reason, I knew not. Maybe because he had a blonde on his arm and they were used to black or brown. Or maybe it was because I really did know why they were having a staring problem; I just didn't want to think about it. That was just for a brief second, however. After that, they started flashing again, but this time, there were more of the flashes. I just knew there was.

We started our walk on the red carpet and that's when the questions started to come. 

"Heero! Over here! Who is your date?!"

"Heero! Is it true that you've eloped with someone?! Is that her?!"

"Ma'am! Are you Mr. Yuy's secret wife?!"

"What do you think Sylvia Noventa's reaction will be? Does she know that you guys are married?"

"Miss Noventa looks gorgeous tonight. Do you think it's an attempt to get you back in her life, sir?"

Ouch. That one hit too close to home. I stayed quiet, looking at them calmly. Some of the reporters asking the more offending questions stopped to look at me. They were silent for one minute and the next, they got busy talking on their mini-recorders. I don't know what they were saying, and I certainly did not care.

I was aware of Heero's reply to one question and one question only. "Yes," he replied, and the way he said it was... different. A good, if not strange, different. "This woman is my wife." More questions were asked, but we were already at the door and hurriedly stepped inside.

"Thank you," I said graciously to the door man. He stopped for a moment and stared incredulously, before he smiled and nodded. "What was that for?" I asked Heero.

"He's just not used to sincerity, that's all." I frowned at his answer, but looked around and realized some of the truth in his answer. The world I was being introduced to was the world of the upperclass and I don't think I like it very much. I found myself constantly wondering if the woman I looked at has a natural nose or a nose job, a natural bust or a boob job, or worse, a natural behind or a butt job.

Then I saw her. Slithering over to us like a purposeful and determined snake.

Sylvia Noventa was as gorgeous and appealing as papers all over the world portrayed her to be, the moment she crossed over to America from her native Paris. Her dress was a slinky number with a dark red color. I *knew* it's a dress, but it looked more like lingerie to me. Her skin was flawless...damn, has she ever had acne issues?! Even her hair was perfect! Her brown coiffure was piled up on her head in a messy bun, but she still looked elegant. She was, in every way, a nostalgic beauty. A woman who looked like she jumped out of a 1960's sitcom, with the mixture of today's epitome of beauty. She could give the highest-paid models a run for their money.

Oh, but if looks could deceive, Sylvia takes the top spot.

I wanted to bow my head, to hide my insecurity. Negative thoughts of my appearance, ones that I've never had before, ran through my head. But, if I bowed, that would be like yielding, wouldn't it? I can't yield! I forced myself to keep my head up, using every bit of those aristocratic features that Hilde said I had.

After the tabloids released pictures, Lucia later told me that my glare kicked Sylvia's butt with her trademark wink and playful nudge. Most ended up dedicating a long section of just photos of the "showdown", headlined as "Round 1: the Model Vs. the Lucky Woman". Wonder if anyone ran a betting pool that night...

Sylvia reached Heero and kissed him on both cheeks. His grip on my hand got tighter, but I didn't respond in the same fashion. "Good evening," she greeted. Her voice was husky and seductive, with almost no trace of an accent in her English. "I thought you were going to skip this event."

"Quatre is a close friend," Heero told her in a monotone.

She nodded thoughtfully and turned to look at me. I looked at her defiantly, challenging her to say something even remotely offensive. "I suppose you're the source of the whispers floating around tonight, hm?" I didn't say anything. "Have you swallowed your tongue or something?"

"No," I replied evenly. "Thank you for your concern for my tongue. I think you should be concerned about yours; it seems to be wagging a bit."

I bit the inside of my cheek to contain laughter when Sylvia stiffened visibly. She continued her critical perusal of me and her eyes twinkled. "Your dress is very... nice," she commented, though I felt that it was the start of an insult. "I've never seen it before. I mean, I've been to Ralph Lauren, Versace, and Vera Wang, but none of them had something that looked like yours. Did you buy it from Macy's? Or maybe... that one old woman... Lucia? Yes, her. I know she can sew. Did she make it for you?"

Heero's hand squeezed tighter. I gently tugged my hand out of his strong grip and tapped my chin, pretending to be in deep thought. "Actually, it doesn't really matter where my dress came from." I gave her a tight-lipped smile. "People can tell it's a dress. I mean, why would I spend thousands of dollars on something that looks like sleepwear?"

Oh yeah... I've had a lifetime's worth of practice on sarcasm and snapbacks, chicken legs. Don't mess with me!

Sylvia smiled again, her perfect teeth bared like fangs. "Are you implying something?"

It was when noticed something that gave me the upperhand in this little argument. My lips twitched and I forced myself to refrain from smiling, lest I ruin it for myself. Oh, what fun, what fun...

I raised my eyebrow and shook my head. "No. It wasn't an implication of any sort, and I apologize..." Well, not really. The apology was given because I wanted to make a good impression for Heero's sake. But, no, dear Sylvia: that wasn't an insult; however, the one coming up is. "By the way, is that a lipstick stain on your tooth, Miss Noventa?" I asked in a loud voice. "I think you may want to use the ladies' room to check it out. You know, before you embarrass yourself." No sooner than the second statement came out of my mouth, cameras started clicking and I can hear the photographers' zoom lenses zooming like crazy. A swarm of people surrounded Sylvia. Those were probably her assistants, the poor humans...

It was a disadvantage to have all those people surround her because I wasn't able to savor the expression on her face. But I used it to my advantage to slip away from Heero's sight so I could get some time to myself. Calm as I seemed to be, I was seething. I didn't mind so much that Sylvia disapproved of me; she's not my mother, for one thing. The fact that made me livid was that she had no respect for Lucia. Not _one ounce_ of respect.

How could Heero have dated someone like that?

I groaned and gritted my teeth in anger, storming towards some random open door. When anger slightly ebbed from my vision, I realized that this was the hotel's main balcony. The full moon shined brightly and made those that reflected its rays shimmer. Among them were droplets of water from the fountain in the garden, which the balcony overlooked. I took deep, calming breaths. As expected, these breaths were not that different from the ones I took in the limousine; they were not even remotely calming.

Then I noticed another person was on the balcony with me, leaning against a baluster and looking up at the moon. This lady looked like she came out of a fairytale, with her Cinderella-like silver gown and pale skin... She reflected the moon's light. This silvery ghost-like figure turned to look at me and I nodded towards her. "Hello," I greeted.

"Hello." The lady made her way towards me until we looked at each other eye to eye. She smirked, showing her approval through her eyes. "I was on my way here when I heard you arguing with the model. Relena, yes?"

I didn't reply. I was too shocked because someone from this party knew my name. I also noticed a distinct French accent in her English, and I tried to associate this with people I know who had accents. It was futile, I know. I mean, if I knew the person, she wouldn't have to ask my name, right? Unless, of course, she's one of those creatures that met me and Heero at the entrance...

Her intuition must have picked up my distress. "Don't worry, I'm not a journalist or 'hound', as we've come to call them." She smiled and raised some material from her puffy skirt. "I don't think I'm dressed for the occupation, anyway."

"How do you know my name?" I asked carefully.

She smoothed the front of her dress over and at the back. "I'm one of Heero's few friends." Before I could say something else, she moved in and kissed me on both cheeks. "My name is Dorothy Catalonia. Thank you for coming in Heero's life."

Oh my god... Dorothy Catalonia, one of the leading biologists and environmentalists in the world, introduced herself to me and thanked me! Why... I did a paper on her for one of my science classes during freshman year in college! I told her so and she laughed.

I lost track of time as we talked. She was truly fascinating, passionate about her work, her beliefs. I told her that it was her work that made me more appreciative of science, while she told me that it was because of her coastal homeland in France that she fell in love with marine biology. Our talk eventually left science and gave way to other matters. "How are things with Heero? The last time I saw him was at his late meeting. I wanted to say hi and talk to him before the party." She gave me a teasing smirk. "You should accompany Heero to work more often. I thought he wouldn't be such a workaholic anymore now that he's married... Besides, I don't think he'd mind the distraction."

I frowned. The last time Heero had a late meeting, it was the night when I knocked him out cold. I inhaled deeply and let the air out as a sigh, catching the scent that I was expecting to find on Noventa.

I felt like I was slapped across my face.

It was here where I realized I could react in two ways: I could jump to the conclusion that Heero was playing a game behind my back, or I could take her word as it was. That they were friends as she claimed them to be.

But then again... Something else got Dorothy's attention and I took the chance to scrutinize her. She's very intelligent, independent, strong-willed... that much I gathered about her by doing that paper and meeting her tonight. Geez, I'm starting to sound like a jealous and possessive wife. "Oh. I see," was all I said to her suggestion.

Wait. Holy mackerel, I said the word "jealous"! I finally see the light! I am jealous and possessive! I wanted to laugh outloud because everything I've done and all the things I pushed away served to lead me to this moment.

"_Mademoiselle? C'est l'heure._"

With surprise on both of our parts, we turned and saw a man standing outside the balcony's entrance. I watched as she stared at him for a long moment, her hand reflexively reaching for the pendant on her necklace. Funny, I didn't notice that earlier... Dorothy seemed pensive, reflecting on her thoughts as all three of us stood there. "_C'est l'heure_," she repeated slowly. "It's time... I suppose it is..." She nodded towards the man and bid him a soft thank you, before turning to me. "We sit in the same table," she said, smiling. "I wanted a chance to talk to you and I didn't anticipate we would meet in here. Now that I think about it, I doubt we would have had the chance to talk at all at our table."

Absently, I nodded, distracted and confused with all the things running through my head. I stopped walking with her presently, and waited until Dorothy noticed my absence. "When you thanked me for coming into Heero's life," I started slowly, "what was the meaning of that?"

She smiled again; this time, mysteriously. "Sylvia was nothing. When you resisted Heero, you became everything. He's a good man. A man who's deserving of happiness. You're very lucky, but the question is," she looked directly at me, "is he lucky with you?"

That provoked thinking. Is _he_ lucky with me? The lingering scent of her perfume reminded me of the night I thought he fooled around. I doubted him, and I realized that the doubt was rooted from the fact that he had been a playboy. Dating around, the tabloids keeping a diary on his numerous endeavors, sometimes in detail... how could he be trusted? How could _any_ player be trusted?

How hypocritical of me. Earlier, I told myself that tabloids are trash. And there I was, believing their word instead of getting to know him better. Then, the _guilt_... The most powerful emotion next to love.

This also meant I should trust that Dorothy was just a friend. A concerned friend who visited Heero when he worked late and went home even later...before I bashed him on the head, when I thought he was an intruder. _I was supposed to be the one who checked on him because, simply put, _I_ was the wife. But I wasn't there._

Like I said, some things will be changed tonight. I just don't know how much more of these truths will I realize. Nor was I sure I'm ready for them.  
  
+++++++++--------++++++++++  
  
The longest "notes" section I've ever written:

Mark ~ Don't kill me! ;_; I'm sooo sorry and I will now state that I was born with the procrastinator gene. It's a random act of nature, I swear... I'll try to explain the itty bitty foreign language tidbits. _Señorito (masculine) and _señorita_ (feminine) are titles for people as an acknowledgment of their higher status (or since they're rich people, housemaids use those titles to call their bosses that). Kind of like, "sir", "ma'am", "madame", "lady", to name a few examples. In Spanish, I'm thinking that __señor and __señora are the equivalent? Hmm... Gotta research that. Anyway, __señorito and __señorita come from a different language and I decided to use them instead. The rest of Lucia's vocabulary/phrases are Spanish, save for those two. The meanings for those phrases are embedded in the sentences they're in._

MCSHELL@aol ~ Man oh man oh man... The e-mail you sent me was on the day I had to study for an honors class final. Then summer school started picking up and all I've managed to do was read your e-mail! I'm sorry. ::hands over the WhackaWeed 5000:: Feel free to use it appropriately. You know whacking this person will make everyone feel better for the long periods of waiting... If they're still waiting. O.O

Boss: I owe you one. **BIG TIME**. Thank you for rambling with me. Hope I get to talk to you soon!!!

Tifa: Yeah, yeah, you're special, see? Believe it or not, folks I see her every morning for summer school, constantly reminds me to "Update, damn you!" and is the representative of the frustrated readers. She nags, she cries when she reads an unfinished chapter, and she's a great friend. Thank you, _ading_! Hope you're drawing my picture w/ your Copic Marker! And when are we going to stalk 'the Hood'?! LoL! Have his girlfriend chase us away with her sushi roll... LOL!


	6. The Last of the First Few Realizations

Notes: I present to the masses this edited version of Chapter 6. _Finally_... I really don't have anything essential to say.  Visit the blog site... uh, the first one.  I usually talk about what's going on with the fics on there.  If I remember to.  I joined the millions of blog whores in existence.  This has been the worst year and it's not even close to being over.

Confused?  I hope so.  :)  Thank you for _still_ reading.  No yelling @ the author.  Yelling's just... rude.

The mystery assistant w/ Sylvia will remain a mystery.  Try not to read too much into that character.

Dedication: _Ma grandmére. Je t'aime.  Ma copine, Kristina...  Tu me manques.  Heaven finally gets an angel back._

W/o further ado and back to planning that 10 page science paper...

9:16 pm

            Dorothy seemed to gain a little more color on her by the time we got to the grand ballroom.  I saw more faces that I thought I was only going to see in movie screens.  I guess that was a good thing, because I was pretty sure I held the title of "Mystery Celebrity" from that little incident between me and Sylvia.  They can distract those reporter species ("Hounds," Dorothy corrected.) from me.

            I followed Dorothy blindly, glimpsing Heero from the corner of my eye when we got to our table.  I did not dare look at him, though he got up and pulled my chair out.  I heard him greet Dorothy, who in turn, gave him two pecks on the cheek.

            Nope, nothing inappropriate there.  The action looked friendly; besides, the French do kiss their dearest friends on both cheeks.  Dang it, it better _be_ just friendly.

            This newfound jealousy thing is getting out of hand...

           Fingers stroked my bare arms lightly and gently, as if they were trying to ease my mind.  I chanced a full glance at Heero, whose expression looked lax yet his eyes remained sharp.  "Where did you go?" he asked.

            "Balcony."  My reply was short.  His fingers stopped stroking me then and he pulled away.  My skin felt the loss of warmth and I watched as goosebumps formed on my arms.  I didn't feel like putting my coat back on because...  well, because it was too much of a hassle!  All that faux fur travelling up my nostrils.  I'm not allergic, but it sure is annoying.  As a distraction, I looked around the table, checking if I knew anyone else.

            Err...  Nevermind.  These are the rich and famous.  And the good thing was, there were only four people in our table; the other one was missing.  I was going to ask about the occupant of the empty seat when the lights dimmed and a single beam of light was shone on the middle of the dance floor.

            Strong footsteps clacked across the wooden floor and out of the dark, the celebrant was revealed.  Quatre Winner tapped the microphone gently and at that single act, people got on their feet to applaud.  He looked up, surprised, before smiling politely and resuming to fix the instrument.

            "Thank you, thank you," he said, gesturing for us to sit down.  Now I understand why everyone seems so drawn to him, even if they only knew him by his photos on magazines and articles on practically everything about him.  I guess too much charisma can be bad, unless you know how to handle it.

            He spoke again after he made sure that everyone was seated.  "The celebration will begin in a few moments.  But I wanted to make a very important announcement before we commence."  The man seemed to wait for more silence, though it was unnecessary.  It was so quiet in there that you can hear a pin drop.

            The Oil Father was nervous!  I watched in fascination as his hand reached inside his pocket and wiped his forehead.  "I didn't think three simple words would be hard to say," he said sheepishly, eliciting soft laughter from his guests.  "When you put them together, though, well... I mean..."  He flushed, grimaced, and sighed.  "Okay, I'm sorry for stalling.  I wanted to tell everyone that...  I'm getting married."

            You know those collective gasps from shocked people in the movies?  No, we didn't get those.  But we did have a simultaneous jaws dropping wave thing around the room.  As for me, I didn't really get a chance to open my mouth.  The shock glued my teeth together.  I turned to ask Dorothy to verify what I heard, only to find her visage pale and her breathing shallow.  I sighed, assuming that she was probably a member of an incognito Winner Estrogen Brigade.  "Hey, it's okay," I said.  I was trying to be comforting, but I seem to be making a fool out of myself rather than a shoulder to lean on.

            Geez.  Right when I need to stick my foot in my mouth is when I wear nice shoes.

            "Ladies and gentlemen."  His voice boomed from the speakers and effectively shut the murmurs up.  "My future wife, Mrs. Quatre Raberba Winner."

            _Now_ we got the 'collective gasps from people in the movies' effect!  I was stunned as I watched Dorothy get up and make her way to Quatre.  Her walk towards him was poised and graceful, even though her chin was quivering.  I don't know if anyone else noticed that, and I was hoping that no one did; it would be another thing that the press will wear out.  They don't need that.  This couple would be taking a lot of heat from the press already.

            An environmentalist and a CEO of an oil corporation.  That's what I call an odd couple.

            I may be getting soft, because when Quatre took the necklace off Dorothy's neck and put the ring on her finger gently, I started crying and applauding.  I actually didn't care if anyone else would be applauding them at all.  I mean, everyone has the right to their own happiness.

            To my surprise, Heero started clapping behind me and I guess since he was doing it, everyone else followed suit.  His claps seemed to be more... polite.  As if he was taking everything in stride.  "You knew, didn't you?" I asked him, to which he nodded.

            Quatre was beaming and Dorothy was just... smiling, relief evident on the couple's expressions.  It was obvious that she was still in shock, still trying to absorb the enormity of the situation and the people's reactions.  She gave me a look of gratitude before Quatre turned her head towards him to kiss her.  "I guess now you can wear the ring, Dorothy," he murmured, unaware that the microphone picked up the words.  Someone gave a wolf whistle, which caused Quatre to duck his head in embarrassment.

10:12 pm

            It wasn't that the party was boring.  I just didn't want to mingle too much.  Dorothy told me that our table was the night's hot spot because I was Heero's new woman or new "conquest", and for every person I talk to, the hounds will document the conversation.  "They'll completely distort what the situation is.  If you're talking to another man and you tell them that he's your boy friend, they'll twist it into _boyfriend_," she said, nodding.  "I remember when I was the new woman seen with him, I was never the girl friend.  I was the _girlfriend_."  

            So instead of getting to know the party's "circuits" and VIPs, I opted to stay seated.  I mean, I'm not concerned about what comments they make about me at all.  They might run off an article or two about how Heero's new woman was the prudish, anti-social type, but I don't care.  I figured that he would be taking most of the heat, if anything, and I don't care about him being used to it either.  No one _really_ gets used to that.

            He wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.  Not with me around.

            As I sat there, I was able to fully see the difference in him around friends and at the mansion.  He was at ease; there was an aura that surrounded him, no matter how hard he tried to suppress the positive feelings in him, as I suspected he was doing.  When comments from Quatre and Dorothy demanded laughter, Heero gave laughter, though it was more like a low chuckle.  I was there, absorbing things to minute detail, for I feared that I will never see the Heero I was looking at ever again.

            He turned to look at me, an expression on his face I can't define, I can't read.  Contentment, maybe?  Happiness, definitely.  Something else, though, still lurked behind his blue, blue eyes.  "What's on your mind?"

            "What are you talking about?"

            "You keep looking at me."

            Oh, the mortification...  I cleared my throat with the intent to retort when I saw that his eyes showed mirth.  "What, I can't glance at you every now and then?" I chided him.  I guess my reply was to his satisfaction when he nodded, still with that knowing smile, and turned his attention back to Quatre, who started talking about business and other manly stuff.

            Damn, he's cute.

            Augh!  That was random!  I just found out that I was actually jealous of Sylvia, Dorothy (well, an hour ago, anyway) and now _that_?!  It wasn't like I was paying attention to the way I was starting to be more obedient and more patient and realizing how attractive he is and... hot damn.  All that in one day and my mind reeled.  I stood up and placed the napkin on the table gently, hoping that Heero would be too engrossed in his conversation to notice the abruptness of my departure.

            I headed for the bathroom and there, I learned two things: one, only thongs can make heeding Nature's call difficult and two, sensorized toilets still need a lot of work.  Come on, now!  You're in the middle of doing your business and then like the formation of a new geyser, you hear water rushing and the ground shaking.

            Er...  Nevermind the ground shake.  I was just trying to make it sound dramatic.

            I was going to leave my stall when I heard two women come in.  One of them sounded extremely mad, her heels clacking against the marble floor furiously.  "Sylvia, you need to calm down..."

            "I don't need to calm down!" the woman thundered, followed by explicit curses in French.  My heart raced and I pressed my ear on the door of my stall.  I found some humor in this, because it's not every day that you hear a supermodel blow her gasket, you know what I mean?  But it's not cool to find out, as the model rants and raves and yells some more, that you're the cause of her distress.  Well, not really...

            Poor thing.  More wrinkles...  Better get that Oil of Olay out.  Or not, which might be better.

            "But you do," the other voice pleaded.  I assumed that it was one of her more personal assistants, and I felt sympathy for this anonymous woman.  "What if someone else is in here?  They're going to tell reporters about Sylvia Noventa blowing up."

            There was a moment of silence before I heard the clacking against the floor once more.  I moved around my stall frantically on my toes, careful about keeping the heels from making contact with the floor and trying to fit my body in the tiniest corner of the stall.

            Breathe, breathe, Relena, keep breathing.

            Her footsteps got closer and closer.  I squeezed myself in my corner even more.

            "What?" her companion asked.  "You're not going to check the last stall?"

            "Not necessary," I heard Sylvia reply.  Almost unconsciously, I raised my hands and placed them over my chest.  My ears followed her steps moving away.  "I don't think anyone would be stupid enough to go to the farthest stall when the restroom's all to themselves."

            Ouch, that hurt.  Then again, I majored in political science.  That stuff's not easy, so I'll let that comment slide...

            Evil woman.

            I heard a sigh.  "Heero's date," I heard her mutter.  One of them placed something on the counter and sounds of things clacking against each other echoed throughout the bathroom.  "How dare she insult me!  I didn't even get her name.  She does not have the right to be with him..."

            Sylvia's companion sighed.  "They're married, Sylvia.  Heero confirmed it earlier."

            I winced when one of them banged something on the sink.  "Shut up!  They're not.  They _can't_ be.  I know he loves me.  He will come back to me!"

            "Did he really?  He denounced the relationship by ordering all of the tabloids to erase what material they have left about it."

            I clutched my chest tighter, sliding down the tiled wall I leaned against.  "Every night that I spent in his arms," I heard her say breathily.  Her voice took on a wistful tone.  "The way Heero would look at me while we-"

            I didn't hear her last words; it was as if my natural defenses were once again protecting me from mind-numbing pain.  I couldn't blink, not even to moisturize my eyes.  I didn't need to.  Tears were coming out faster than I realized and they fell on my arms, splattered on my dress, and onto the tiled floor.  I was there on the floor, curled up like the little girl I was years ago.  "It meant nothing to him, Sylvia.  You said even if it was meaningless for him, you didn't care and you let him use you without expecting anything back."

            "It wasn't about the physical thing..."

            "It was _exactly_ about that!  He was never personal with you. The relationship you had was based on who was there to warm his bed and that's all."  Her companion's voice dropped softly.  "You told me he never held you after you were done."

            I closed my eyes and covered my ears.  I should have remembered from childhood experience that no matter how much pressure I apply on those hands, it's impossible to block out sound completely.

            "That girl's blonde," Sylvia argued, completely ignoring the last sentence.  "Heero's playing a game, but I don't know why.  She's not his type, can't you tell?  He's probably using her...  Maybe he's experimenting with blondes."

            "_What?_"

            "I just _know_ he needs something from that woman!  If only Heero would confide in me, then maybe I can help him.  Divorce, maybe, or annulment, it doesn't matter..."  She sounded so confident as her voice sifted through my ears and it made me ill.

            "Sylvia!" I took my hands off from my ears when I heard a slapping sound, followed by a gasp.  "People in your business cheapened marriage, but it is still _sacred_.  Heero wouldn't have done it unless he was truly committed, because that's just his nature.  _You_ told me so, remember?  When the control for his family business was transferred to him, he threw himself into making it better, even if there's nothing to improve."  The voice reverted back to a sympathetic tone.  "She changed him, Sylvia.  He's not the same.  It's time for _you_ to accept change."

            Heels started clacking against marble once more.  "No.  He'll come back to me.  Just watch, he will because I know him too well.  Commitments?  Yeah, that particular commitment has a quota.  Just to please his daddy's spirits he'll meet it, and then he'll separate from that bitch."

            "You weren't what he needed, Sylvia.  You gave it your all, but he didn't need you.  Not now, not ever."  Another sound of a hand meeting skin echoed around the room, followed by a small sound of surprise.

            "No one slaps me.  No one tells me that I'm not needed."  Sylvia's voice was hard and uncompassionate.  "The timing wasn't right for us.  What this model wants, she gets.  And I'm not about to give up my man to a _dumb_ blonde."  The sound of their heels bounced off the walls until I heard no more, save for the creaking sound that came from the door.  It was only until I was sure they were gone when I breathed loudly.

            I felt heavy when I came out of the bathroom stall.  How long I stayed curled up inside, I didn't know and I certainly cared less.  When I washed my hands, I dared to look at the mirror and saw my dishelved appearance and more.

            I didn't know what to think, save for the cliched rhetorical questions that I formulated in my head.

            What about the trust I resolved to have in him earlier?  Was it really that fragile?  But I can't.  I can't bear feeling that there will be another departure in my life.  Living a solitary life was something I became incapable of visualizing when I was touched with Lucia's kindness and laughter, Pagan's calming presence, and Heero...

            _Husband_...

            It's starting to sink in.  And it might be too late.

           There were trails of make-up on my face and it continued to flow, because my eyes just would not stop tearing.  I gave up, grabbing facial tissues from the powder area and made them damp, using them to clean my face.  I still looked myself over, just to make sure that I looked presentable.  I raked my fingers through my hair in an attempt to put the small flyaway hair to stay still.

            I've always been a logical person.  Daddy was the only one who saw my soft spots.  My bluntness has always been something people held against me. "Bitch" was a familiar title, but it has never affected me.

            See, the thing that gets me is... I'm trying to live without pretenses, and I've been successful so far.  The lies I've told were to make people stop being so concerned about me, to leave me _alone_.  Even though I haven't been nice to Heero, at least I was _honest_.  But to live a truthful life and be given people whose intentions you have to second guess...

            It's not fair.

==================

"Humm dum dee dum hummm dum deee dum... yummy yummy in the tummy... time for something sweet..." - Winnie the Pooh

What?  Winnie the Pooh?  Why?  Winnie eats honey... honey is sticky... the story is getting stickier.  Rice is sticky.  Rice can be turned into wine.

I just partially revealed what the next chapter's going to be about.  Now to figure out which one it is... tell the teachers to lay off the projects, damn it.


End file.
